Damage
by weirdcoffeeholic
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki is school royalty. Rukia Kuchiki is invisible to the naked eye. But there’s more to high school romance than just sitting at different lunch tables. And they find that out the hard way. Ichigo x Rukia AU.
1. PROLOGUE: Boy Meets Girl?

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach.

**Summary**: Ichigo Kurosaki is school royalty. Rukia Kuchiki is invisible to the naked eye. But there's more to high school romance than just sitting at different lunch tables. And they find that out the hard way. Ichigo x Rukia AU.

**Author's Note**: Hi guys! And yes, it is I, yours truly, back with a new fanfic. I know I wrote in my profile page that I'm currently working on a Code Geass fic, but I recently changed my mind and decided to do a Bleach story. :) I'm more familiar with the characters in this anime/manga anyway, so possibility of OOC-ness is slim. (I think?) :) So yeah. Uhm, enjoy. :D

**Another Note**: ARGH. Comedy/Romance fic. Kill me if this turns out horribly.

**Another Note**: Everything _italicized_ is Rukia's thought.

-**oOo**-

_`Cause she's bittersweet,  
She knocks me off of my feet,  
And I can't help myself,  
I don't want anyone else.  
She's a mystery,  
She's too much for me,  
But I keep comin' back for more.  
She's just the girl I'm lookin' for._

- Just The Girl, The Click Five

-**oOo**-

"Girl, get over it."

"No, I'm _so_ not over it." Sigh.

"Trust me. You're wasting your time."

"I mean, look at him! He's… He's so—"

"Godly? Beautiful? Sexy? Yes, don't we _all_ know that."

"Well, here's something you _don't_ know. Last year, I accidentally bumped into him at third period, and he actually _talked_ to me!"

"Really, now. What'd he say?"

"'Watch the suit, I just got it dry-cleaned.' Isn't he so, like, smooth?"

"Ugh."

Rukia Kuchiki rolled her eyes like it was second nature to her. She honestly thought the very gesture was immature, but she just couldn't help it every time she would overhear (Yes, _overhear_, because eavesdropping is so beneath her) people, particularly women, bickering like sugar-overdosed valley girls whenever a certain guy would walk past them in the crowded hallways.

She just wished they would talk so goddamn loud—

"Will you shut up about him already? Geez, he doesn't even know you."

"I don't care! He actually looked at me with his actual _eyes_!"

_Kami, please help me_.

Nope, there was no doubt about it. Apparently, his self-righteousness, his orange majesty, his highness (literally), self-proclaimed prince of Karakura high school, Kurosaki Ichigo, decided to bestow upon the common people of the East Wing his omnipotent presence.

And yes, now is the best time to cue the drooling.

"Whoa, settle down ladies," she heard _him_ say. "There's plenty of me to go around, okay?"

But no, not for Rukia.

She groaned. Not that anyone could hear it over the fan-girly noises.

With her first and second period books in her arms, she slammed her locker door with too much force than necessary just to block out the muffled squeals and behind-the-hand-giggles around her. Without as much as a glance at Kurosaki's head peeking out from the sea of women, she went about her merry way towards her classroom on the second floor.

She huffed.

Yes, today was going to be the best first day of school. Ever.

-**oOo**-

**PROLOGUE  
**_Boy Meets Girl?_

-**oOo**-

**Karakura Private High School  
****Student Information and Schedule**

**Name**: Kuchiki, Rukia  
**Student Number**: 126-6347  
**Status**: Old student  
**Gender**: Female (_Hello?_)  
**Grade**: 12  
**Homeroom Adviser**: Urahara, Kisuke

**Schedule**:  
08:00am-08:30am – Homeroom – Rm. KHS142  
08:30am-09:30am – Creative Writing – Rm. ENGL128  
09:30am-10:30am – Information Technology – Rm. COMP237  
10:30am-11:30am – Asian Literature - Rm. LITE241  
11:30am-12:30pm – LUNCH (_Hurrah._)  
12:30pm-01:30pm – Differential Calculus – Rm. MATH125 (_Why am I taking this class again?_)  
01:30pm-02:30pm – General Biology – Rm. BIOL023  
02:30pm-03:30pm – Inorganic Chemistry – Rm. CHEM152  
03:30pm-04:30pm – Specialization Class*

* You, _Kuchiki, Rukia_, have chosen _Visual Arts_ for this school year. Your professor will be _Love Aikawa_. Please refer to your class adviser for your schedule.

Good luck!  
We expect the best from you!  
Go Karakura Lions!

-**oOo**-

"I don't believe this."

Rukia let her purple orbs scan the vicinity of the jam-packed classroom before she took a seat next to Tatsuki Arisawa, all-around tomboy, point guard of the school's varsity basketball team for women, a black-belt holder in karate, and the one and only person in this school whom she considers a "real" friend.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I mean, we're, like, actually seniors," she told the petite woman enthusiastically. She then coolly shrugged off the approved gray school blazer. "_Seniors_, Rukia! Do you know what that means?"

The other woman blinked. "It means… we're finally graduating from this hellhole?"

"Well, _duh_. But, no!" Tatsuki jumped up to her desk for emphasis. "We are finally seniors! After spending most of our days in school as underclassmen, we are finally the ones who are going to hog the spotlight! Cutting lines in the cafeteria will be so utterly effortless! Think of the advantages! The possibilities are endless!"

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a bit… overreacting?" she asked dubiously, shaking her head.

"No, I'm _not_ overreacting, you bitch," Tatsuki snapped albeit in a friendly manner. "You, my friend, are simply underestimating it—"

"Whatever." _I think she had too much of Orihime's cooking again._

Like she always did when Tatsuki wouldn't take a hint and shut up, Rukia took out her iPod, wedged the earphones into her ear, and cranked up the volume, effectively blocking out all sound. Something from Story of the Year was ringing in her head nonstop.

Not that she didn't like Tatsuki Arisawa – to be honest, she loved the girl to death (in a sisterly way of course, because, well, there were rumors going about back when they were in eighth grade that Tatsuki was a lesbian and, well, yeah. You get the picture). They've been together since second grade, since the time Tatsuki punched Rukia's nose for _accidentally_ breaking one of her crayons.

And that was also the time they discovered Tatsuki's gift in martial arts. So every time her friend gets an award or a medal or _something_, she silently congratulates herself, because if it weren't for her, well, Tatsuki wouldn't be her ass-kicking self right now.

_Ha, I'm _so_ good_, Rukia thought.

"Hello, Chad," she greeted without looking up. The lack of light was enough for her to guess who was taking the empty seat next to her, because he's just so tall and all. She then removed her earphones. "How was your summer?"

Yasutora Chad, liked by many, feared by all. Think Fuzzy Wuzzy (minus the fuzz, of course). He looks like a typical jock except he wasn't in the football team, because the coach thought he was just way too big, which is true. He transferred from Mexico to Karakura halfway through their ninth grade, so yeah, he was a big Hispanic guy with a Japanese family name. (_We're a pretty weird bunch._)

"Oh, my God, you were listening to you iPod the whole time?!" Tatsuki yelped at a grinning Rukia. "I've been blabbering for the past how-many-minutes here and you weren't even listening? What kind of friend _are_ you—?!"

"It was… fun," Chad droned in his deep, booming voice.

"So, yeah, like what I was saying—"

Without warning, a spitball from nowhere zoomed right past her face, missing it by mere centimeters. And it hit the hyperactive martial arts expert right in the middle of her nose. The sticky, clumped-up, salivated piece of paper slowly detached itself from its victim's skin, and everyone in the room knew that hell would break lose the moment it hit the floor.

Rukia's hand instinctively went to slap her forehead, knowing what was to come. She also knew it wasn't going to be pretty. And it was just only homeroom period. At the _first_ day of classes.

Chad sweatdropped.

_Oh, no_.

-**oOo**-

Two and a half ours later, Rukia ended up in her third period, which was, according to her trusty schedule, Asian Literature. Apparently, neither Chad nor Tatsuki was in this class with her, and she didn't really know if that was a good thing or not, considering that her best friend (_Why am I friends with her again?_) instigated the very first bloodshed this school year, which ended up with Chad having to interfere, otherwise Tatsuki would've sent Keigo Asano flying to the next continent.

Poor guy. Rukia, being the kind, invisible girl she was, volunteered to take him to the school clinic just to have an excuse not to confront Tatsuki in her frenzied state. _Anything_ but that. Now, Keigo was sitting two rows behind her, clutching a dripping ice bag to his bandage nose.

And, of course, Tatsuki got sent to the Principal's Office yet again—

"Hey, Rukia," a voice came from her left, snapping her out of her torpor.

She turned a little to look at the bright and ever-so-cheerful face of Orihime Inoue, the very big-chested — er, big-hearted girl who always seemed nice whatever the weather was. Rukia eyed her long, red hair which she secretly envied.

"Oh, hey, Orihime," she greeted politely._ Maybe I should dye my hair with that color…_ "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say hi," she said as she took a bite from a whole loaf of… _bread?_ "I brought an extra bento with be today `cause I made too much this morning. Would you like to have it?"

Orihime's cooking? No way. She'd seen what it could do. Tatsuki and her always dysfunctional stomach was enough proof.

"Uhm, I... uh, brought lunch with me today, sorry," she apologized lamely. But the innocent girl seemed to buy it. She leaned in closer to whisper. "You know, I've heard that Mizuiro over there dropped his wallet somewhere, so he doesn't really know where to get food for the day. Why don't you… give that spare bento of yours to him instead?"

The red-head clamped her hands together, making her boobs bob a little. "That's a great idea, Rukia!"

_Whew. Saved._

"So, how are you ladies doing, huh?" a male voice came out of nowhere. Rukia guessed that the owner was also the one who coolly put his arm around her shoulders.

"Hello, Renji," Orihime said with a smile before she busied herself with her… bread.

Rukia groaned. "Do you know that your arm is heavy?" she snapped.

"Aw, c'mon, Rookie, you're breaking my heart, here," Renji Abarai teased, his voice smooth and alluring. He still hadn't gotten rid of his gay hairdo. Long, pink, and ponytail-ed. "So, how about that date you promised me last year, huh?"

"What _date_?" The petite woman raised her eyebrows and racked her brains for any memory at all that concerned her going out with a pig-headed loser such as Renji. "And _stop_ calling me 'Rookie.'"

"Oh, don't act like you forget," he reminded her, his lips dangerously close to her cheek. "You said you'd let me take you out _this_ year if I stopped bugging you _last_ year, remember?"

Rukia was silently praying the gods to give her at least a third of Tatsuki's skills and strength in self-defense. She needed it. "Well, then, you're gonna have to wait for next year. And the year after that. And the year after that…"

"What?" Renji yelped. "You're kidding, right—?"

"Okay, class, everyone settle down."

Rukia sighed with relief when Renji finally gave up and trudged back to his seat, just as all the room's occupants returned to sulk at their respective desks.

All heads turned to look at the woman who had just walked (cat-walked) through the classroom's entrance. By the looks of it, she was their Asian Lit professor. She looked to be the part anyway.

Every male's jaw dropped. A couple of students wolf whistled.

Though not exactly tall, the woman was beautiful – with silky black braids that framed her gentle features, pale and smooth-to-touch skin, the most stunning purple eyes, and a body to die for. Rukia even wondered why she can't look as show-stopping as her even though she looked exactly like _her_—

_Oh, my God. Is she, like, my long-lost sister or something?_

"Good morning, class," she greeted them, her tone as dainty as her frame. "I am—" She took a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the board twice. One in English, and the other in Kanji characters. "—Retsu Unohana, your Asian Literature professor. I've been teaching for eight years now, and I graduated from Tokyo University with master's degree in Literature, major in Asian Literature—"

Keigo Asano's hand quickly shot up.

"My, my, questions already?" She smiled and motioned for Keigo to speak.

He removed the icepack from his face to reveal the bandages. A few students snickered. "Yeah, uhm, how old are you, anyway?"

From the corner of her eye, Rukia could make out Uryu Ishida shaking his head in exasperation. There was a curious but quiet mumble from the class that obviously came from the male population.

"—I'd bet you she just turned twenty-seven—"

"Nah. She looks more of twenty-three to me—"

"Well, I don't give a damn. She's so f—!"

_So immature._ Rukia couldn't help but scoff.

To everyone's surprise, the smile on Ms. Unohana's face didn't falter at all. "Well, sorry to disappoint you guys, but I'm honestly old enough to be your mother."

_Ha! Take that, chums._

Orihime giggled. "She's so pretty…"

A few boys made a sound that Rukia would translate from boy-talk as: 'I don't friggin' care, `cause, well, you are just way too hot to waste!'

"O…kay, so, here's your seat plan," she said as she raised the piece of paper and handed it to the student nearest her. "Right legibly, family name first, then your given name. Now take out your textbooks and turn to page forty-four. It's best not to waste time!"

A wave of groans reverberated across the room as the sound of flipping pages filled the air. Following suit, Rukia took out her own copy of _Tales of the East_ and opened it at the said page.

"Today, we will be discussing a very popular heroine, one of my personal historical-slash-fictional favorites, Hua Mulan," she began in a loud and clear voice. "Now, tell me—"

Ms. Unohana was cut short when the classroom door unexpectedly swung open to reveal a tall, carrot-top figure with a demeanor that would've melted the Artic or frozen up the Sahara. And, inevitably, in was the girls' turn to swoon this time.

(With the exception of Rukia, of course. And Orihime, because the girl was just always too innocent and distracted to notice.)

"Uhm, good morning. Sorry, I ran a little late, ma'm."

The girls giggled and blushed for some reason that Rukia and other more intelligent members of the female specie were oblivious to.

Still smiling, Ms. Unohana nodded briefly before motioning for _the_ Ichigo Kurosaki to choose a vacant seat among the class. As he smoothly made his way down the middle aisle, he gave one of his fan girls a wink. He then took his seat, which was coincidentally in front of Rukia's.

_No! Not there! I can't see the damn chalkboard!_ she mentally yelped as she craned her neck to look over Ichigo's shoulder.

"So, as I was saying. What does anybody here know about Hua Mulan?"

Renji proudly raised his hand. No doubt it was one of his tactics to impress the new (and very hot) professor. "She's the chick who pretended she was a guy to join the army, right?"

"That's very well-said, Mr.… Abarai," she said after looking at the newly-returned seat plan. "I can see you're an avid Disney fan, but their animated adaptation was very inaccurate and loose. Though you answer is indeed correct."

There were chuckles from the guys again. Renji looked put-out.

"Hey," she whispered to Ichigo, tapping his back with her, er, Chappy the Rabbit pen. "Can you slouch a little?"

The orange-haired, self-proclaimed teen prince turned around slightly to look at her. "_Why?_" he asked her.

"`Cause I can't see the board," she supplied for him, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ichigo sneered. "That's not my fault. Why don't you just get taller or something?"

_Oh._

_My._

_God._

Rukia felt like she was washed away by a giant tsunami.

No one, and by that she meant _no one_ made fun of her height (or the lack of it) in front of her and gets away with it.

"Well, that isn't my fault, too, so why don't you just chop of your head so I can see the damn board?" _Ha! Chalk one up for me!_

"No can do, _little_ miss shortcake," he shot back, reclining on his seat. "I don't think _my ladies_ would appreciate that move. And I don't think you'd wanna be chased down by an angry mob now, wouldn't you?"

_What? Oh, wow._ "Heh, I'd personally rip off your face and put it up for auction on eBay."

"See? You just said that my face is worth a fortune—"

"What? I didn't say anything like that, you egotistical freak!"

"Oh, just admit that you're one of those women who'd want to get on a guy's good side from the bad side."

…

_No way._

Did he just say that she was _hitting_ on him?

"You'd be a complete and total _idiot_ if you think that I'm interested in someone like you."

He jeered again. It gets more and more annoying each time he did that. "Sure looks like it, Shortcake," he said, grinning back at her.

"You are the _most_ obnoxious man I've ever met—"

"Kurosaki and Kuchiki. Do you want to share something to the class?"

Ms. Unohana's voice brought Rukia back to reality. It was then that she realized she had been almost yelling at Ichigo's provoking comments. She had completely forgotten she was in a four-walled classroom with a professor raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, m'am," Ichigo immediately replied, feinting simplicity. "Little Miss Shortcake here was just asking me for a pen."

The female professor looked dubious. "Can you repeat what I'd just said about Hua Mulan, Mr. Kurosaki?" she asked the carrot-top, her voice dangerous.

"Uhm… No, ma'm. I, uh, can't," Ichigo weakly.

She focused her equally purple eyes to Rukia. "How about you, Miss Kuchiki?"

Damn it. She was screwed.

Rukia sighed in defeat. There was no use in faking it. "No, m'am, I can't." _Great._

"I see," Ms. Unohana said, her expression was actually scaring her. "Well, since both of you seem to get along quite well and seem _uneager_ to participate in this class, why don't you just write a five-hundred word, handwritten essay about this famed heroine."

A breath escaped Rukia's lips. That was a close one. From the sound of it, it almost looked like she was doing to give them both—

"In detention."

Rukia swallowed.

_No way._

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: So… What did you guys think? Was it amusing enough to be a comedy fic? Or was it as lame as I predicted? LOL. R&R and let me know what you think. :)

**Another Note**: Why Karakura Lions? Isn't Kon, like, Bleach's mascot or something? He's a lion, right? LMAO.


	2. CHAPTER 1: When in Detention

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach.

**Author's Note**: Wow! (Big bear hug) I honestly thought _no one_ would appreciate this. O.o And since I was in the mood to write more, I decided to post the other chapter a little early. Hope you like it! :D

-**oOo**-

_How much longer will it take to cure this?  
Just to cure `cause I can't ignore it, if it's love.  
Makes me wanna turn around and face me,  
But I don't know nothing `bout love._

- Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows

-**oOo**-

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:41:08  
**Subject**: Where _the hell_ are you?

We were supposed to meet here in the courtyard fountain forty minutes ago! Where the effing hell are you? Spec classes ended, like, an hour ago!

You'd better have your Blackberry on, because if you're not here in five minutes, I'm going to have a fit.

Oh, btw, Chad got a talking parrot (macaw?). It's starting to _freak_ me out. So get your butt over here or you won't have one anymore.

Toods,  
T.A.

* * *

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:44:31  
**Subject**: Sorry!

I know you're not gonna believe be, but I'm, uhm, in detention right now, so I probably won't make it. You and Chad can swing by the pizza place without me. I'll just catch up on you guys if Kyoraku decides to let us out early.

My perfectly clean record in KPHS is contaminated! So, yeah, kill me now.

HELP!

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

* * *

To: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:46:19  
**Subject**: WTFF?

Detention?! How the hell did you manage to do something stupid, get caught, and wind up in detention on the first day of class? Wait, is this Rukia Kuchiki? `Cause I think my phonebook just got messed up.

Why are you in _detention_?!

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

****To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:49:01  
**Subject**: Re: WTFF?

Well, you see, His Royal Orangeness, Ichigo Kurosaki, was in my third period Asian Lit class and decided to pick on little old (UGH.) me.

You know how tall he is. I mean, he just _had_ to pick the seat in front of me, so I couldn't see a damn thing and I asked him _politely_ if he could lower his insanely yellow (Is that even natural?) head so I can see the board. Apparently, for him, it seemed like _I_ was fishing for a date. (And he told that I was, uhm, short.) And I couldn't just let him get away with that, can I?

So yeah, gtg. I'm writing a paper about a Disney Princess.

I'll drop you a call later when I get home.

See you tomorrow.

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

**

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:50:56  
**Subject**: Hold it. Rewind. And freeze!

You _talked_ to _the_ Ichigo Kurosaki? The King of All Things Vain? Is that even, like, _legal_ for you? I mean, you've hated the guy since, like, forever! _What_ did he tell you?

_Disney Princess?!_

Toods,  
T.A.

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 4 at 17:55:32  
**Subject**: (_no subject_)

Rukia!

Hey! Why're you not answering me?!

Toods,  
T.A.

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER ONE  
**_When in Detention…_

-**oOo**-

Rukia unnoticeably slipped her red Blackberry into her messenger bag and took out her Chappy pen. She then scribbled her name in heavy cursive on the essay paper provided.

_I don't deserve detention, and I'll prove it to that bitchy profe—_

Shunsui Kyoraku laid back on his chair and tilted it up on its hind legs while he offhandedly placed his rested on his teacher's desk. He was a pretty nice guy and a commendable Physics professor, but as far as Rukia knew, the guy was a pervert. And Kyoraku was just one of those guys who'd spend hard-earned cash drinking sake in bars.

Ugh. He even reeked of booze now.

But, yeah, he was a nice guy and a creditable teacher. And he was usually the one who let off Tatsuki with a warning every time she'd end up in detention because of her warfreak-ish habits.

"So…" he muttered with a chuckle, pertaining to the three students in the room. Namely Rukia, Ichigo, and a disturbed-looking junior guy. "I didn't expect any of you to be sent here so early off in the semester. And, oh! We have first-timers!"

"What a freak," Rukia heard Ichigo mutter.

Kyoraku grinned his friendly grin. "But whatever," he said casually. "The sooner you finish what you're doing, the sooner _we_ get out of here. So get writing!"

Rukia rolled her eyes and started on her first paragraph, thankful that she'd pre-read the topic since they weren't allowed to look at their notes. She swelled with pride when she noted the crestfallen face of Ichigo Kurosaki when he realized he didn't know a thing about this famous woman (surprisingly, because _all_ he ever seemed to think about were _women_) and was drawing a blank.

_Rukia Kuchiki  
__Asian Literature  
__Ms. R. Unohana  
_"_Mulan is not just a Disney Princess."_

_Contrary to popular belief, Hua Mulan is not a princess, nor is she a heroine with actual historical basis. She was first described in an ancient Chinese poem called The Ballad of Mulan, which dates back to the 6__th__ century, before the ruling of the Tang Dynasty. Despite her world-wide fame, it is still a speculation whether she was a real woman or not._

_In the poem, she cunningly disguised herself as a man to take her father's place in the army, since her father was too old and frail to survive, much less fight in a war. After the successful defeat of the Huns—_

"Hey! Shortcake!"

Rukia huffed and ignored the whispering carrot-top who was constantly looking at her direction, two desks away, desperately seeking for help.

—_the Emperor himself offered a high government position to her, but she refused, and instead wished to return home where her family waited. When her fellow soldiers, particularly her troops, came to visit, they were appalled to see her dressed in female clothing—_

Ichigo threw a paper ball at her while Kyoraku was busy reading his magazine (which looked suspiciously like an issue of FHM). Rukia glanced at him briefly before she poised her pen back on her paper.

"C'mon, give me something to write about!" he hissed persistently.

_You are the sole reason why I'm here, you bastard._

She silently flipped him off with her free hand.

—_Her legend, so far, has been adapted into novels, full-length movies, animated feature films, video games, figurine collectibles, and, amusingly, a crater in the planet Venus. She is an emblem of feminism and patriotism who can give Joan of Arc a run for her money. It just shows how much Asians love and pay respect to their family. They will go to any lengths to protect it—_

Groaning, Ichigo slowly craned his neck to peer at her essay and Rukia was quick enough to throw her arm across it, obscuring it from view.

"Damnit, woman," Ichigo cursed. "C'mon, I'll, uh, promise you I'll… dance with you at the Back-to-School dance this Friday!"

"Over my cold dead body!" she whispered, her eyes not leaving her desk.

With pride, Rukia smoothened out her paper and safely tucked her pen inside her school bag. She gave Ichigo Kurosaki's shocked face one mischievous glance before getting up and proudly handing her finished work to Kyoraku.

As she passed the fan-girl-worshipped Prince of Narcissism, she bent down (he was sitting down, okay?) and let her lips hover over his ear discreetly.

"Size doesn't always matter, Ichigo. Take that to heart."

-**oOo**-

Rukia felt like her lungs were about to give out as her legs pumped as humanly fast as they could beneath her. It was almost six o'clock in the evening and there were only three minutes away before her curfew. And knowing her brother, well, he was a strict one, and she didn't really want him nagging her all night just because she stayed out a little too late.

Frantically, she fished out her keys from her bag and unlocked the door as soon as she got to the porch of her home. Rukia swung the door open, sprinted inside and slowly closed it behind her, careful not to make a sound. Well, of course, she knew he'd be sitting in the kitchen, waiting for her anyway.

With her breathing still quick and shallow, she kicked off her shoes and went to where her brother would always be whenever she came home at this hour.

"Where were you?" he instantly asked her the moment she was in plain view.

Rukia eyed Byakuya Kuchiki with exasperated eyes. The silver clips on his long, black hair was glinting menacingly at her. He was still in his office suit. And there was no way in this world she'd tell him she was in detention.

"I was at school, fixing my schedule," she lied as convincingly as she could, taking the Chinese to-go box (which was dinner) from the table. "Some of my classes got mixed up with the other kids'."

Byakuya arched an accusing eyebrow at her. "School offices end at five o'clock. If that were the case, you should've been here twenty-seven minutes ago—"

"C'mon, Byakuya," she breathed, tired. "Alright, I just went out with Tatsuki and Chad for a bit after classes. We went to Domino's and that's it. I'm eighteen frikkin' years old. Stop treating me like I'm in kindergarten."

"I left you messages; you didn't answer any of them."

Rukia shrugged. "My phone ran out of charge," she said, taking out her Blackberry and brandishing it at her older brother's face as proof. "See? Now can I go to my room? I've homework to do."

He wasn't satisfied. "Are you sure you weren't out with _some boy_?" He spat out the word as if it were something foul.

_This guy is hopeless!_ "No, Byakuya!" she said, walking up to her brother and planting a quick peck on his cheek. "So far, you're the only man in my life, okay? So, please pull out the ten-foot pole from your ass and _chill_. And I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Byakuya crossed his arms. "Alright, fine."

"Good boy."

She then jogged into the living room and disappeared up the staircase.

-**oOo**-

Rukia carelessly threw her messenger bag across the room and jumped on her bed, immediately grabbing her laptop and waiting for it to "wake up" from sleep. She then double-clicked on the instant messenger icon on the desktop and logged on.

Username: ChappyFreak88  
**Password**: headoverfeet

_You have successfully signed on.  
_  
You have zero (0) offline message(s).  
You have zero (0) incoming friend request(s).  
You have zero (0) outgoing friend request(s).

You have five (5) out of thirty-two (32) friend(s) online.  
1. ChickMagnet2002 (_Kojima, Mizuiro_) – "Lookn' 4 a d8 4 d BTS dance! IM me."  
2. mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_) – "Waiting on you, babe." (_You appear offline to this friend._)  
3. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Busy. Cooking. :)"  
4. TheQuincyHeir_ (Ishida, Uryu)_ – "Busy. Do not disturb. I mean it, Renji."  
5. ur_worst_nightmare_ (Arisawa, Tatsuki) – _"I'm available."

* * *

She quickly dragged her finger along the mouse pad, clicked on Tatsuki's username, and a chat window popped-up.

**ChappyFreak88**: Hey!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Oh, _now_ you decide to reply to my messages!

**ChappyFreak88**: Sorry! Kyoraku threatened to take my phone if I didn't keep it. And it ran out of charge. So, yeah.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Whatever. So… What happened in detention? And what about Kurosaki?

**ChappyFreak88**: Like I said, I got detention `cause the loser thought I was hitting on him, so I told him off. Our professor got pissed and made us do an essay. There.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Oh, okay. I thought you had it worse, lol.

**ChappyFreak88**: Nah. `Twas a piece of cake.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Oh, yeah! That reminds me. Are you going to the BTS dance?

**ChappyFreak88**: Ugh, don't remind me.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: And what does _that_ mean?

**ChappyFreak88**: Idk, maybe, maybe not. I mean, HELLO. I don't even have a date! And you know I don't go to these kinda… _social_ gatherings. It's so _not_ me.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: C'mon, you _need_ to go! It's our _last_ BTS dance in high school, you freak of nature. Forget the date, we can go together! It's not just about dates! It's about the food and dancing! That's why it's called a 'dance,' duh? Besides, it's a masquerade ball! No one will notice if you if you dress up well enough!

**ChappyFreak88**: Wait… When you say 'we,' you mean…?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Me, you, and Chad!

**ChappyFreak88**: No way! That's just awkward, you sicko. School dances = Dates. It's always been that way. No date = No go to the dance, which is the case for me. You and Chad go together!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: HELLO, are your screws loose? We're not even dating. That's, like, incest, and incest is just gross, okay? Don't be a party pooper for once, freak! It's the last high school BTS we'll ever get to go to. THINK ABOUT IT.

**ChappyFreak88**: …

**ur_worst_nightmare**: …?

**ChappyFreak88**: …Alright, fine! I'll go. But I don't have a dress to wear. Or a mask.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Don't look at me. I'm going in a tux. Go ask Orihime or someone else who thinks laces and ribbons are pretty. (shudders)

**ChappyFreak88**: Wow. Thanks. You're such a _nice_ friend, bitch.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I know I am. ;)

**ChappyFreak88**: Screw you.

* * *

Rukia collapsed on the bed as if she was going to have a seizure of sorts.

She was going to a dance.

Correction: A _high school_ dance.

And she knew that if she didn't go or backed out after promising Tatsuki that she would attend, she'd never see the light of day again. No, she wasn't exaggerating on the part.

She had never been to a single dance, much less a Back-to-School dance, in her entire eighteen-year-old existence. _Kami_, she couldn't even picture what Byakuya's face would be if a guy rang on the doorbell and introduced himself as his little sister's date.

She even had a gut-feeling that, one of these days, Byakuya will write The Eight Simple Rules on Dating My Little Sister, etch it on two stone tablets, place in their living room, and make every guy who wanted to take her out on a date recite it from pure memory.

Ugh.

Rukia didn't have the heart to make a man (no matter how much she despised the man, not even Renji) suffer under the trembling wrath of Byakuya Kuchiki. The man has a severe case of something like 'sister syndrome' that made him the overprotective barrier-of-all-kinds that he was.

She needed a date, and Rukia quickly thought about her options and made a mental list in alphabetical order to avoid biases.

Abarai, Renji – _HELL NO. If he'd get rid of the pink hair, ponytail, and tattoos, I might consider._

Aizen, Sosuke – _V. good looking, but I don't like him very much._

Ishida, Uryu – _Too quiet. He might bore me to death or use me as his target practice if otherwise._

Kojima, Mizuiro – _He digs older women, and that's enough reason for me to stay away._

Kurosaki, Ichigo – _His horde of jealous fan girls will hunt me down till I'm dead if they even found out he's in this list--!_

Shiba, Ganju – _Nice guy. But he lacks the physical asset. (I know I'm not that pretty, but I'm not that ugly, either._) _His brother's not bad though. Too bad he's already married._

That's were she stopped thinking. Rukia felt a migraine coming up.

_Ow_.

Whatever.

Maybe going to the dance date-less isn't so bad.

It's better than thinking about boys anyway.

A small 'pop' sounded from her computer, indicating that someone had opened a IM window with her username.

Rukia groaned when she recognized the screen name.

* * *

_  
You appear offline to this friend._

**mr_shinigami63**: Hey, Rookie. I know u're there. So… I was wonderin' if u'd wanna go 2 the BTS dance with me this Friday.

**mr_shinigami63**: I'll pick u up at eight, then? I'll bring flowers 4 u. ;)

**mr_shinigami63**: …Hello?

**mr_shinigami63**: Rookie!

**ChappyFreak88**: I'm sorry. Rukia is unavailable at this time. This is Byakuya Kuchiki. Who are _you_, and _why_ are you asking my little sister to the dance?

**mr_shinigami63**: Uhm…

**mr_shinigami63**: Sorry! I thought u were Rukia. Bye!

_mr_shinigami63 has signed out_.

* * *

"What a loser," Rukia mumbled derisively. "Can't believe he fell for that old trick."

With a yawn, she fell back on her soft mattress and quickly drifted off to sleep, her to-go dinner forgotten on the floor.

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: So… How was that? Oh, if you guys can find any typos, just leave it in your review or PM. :) I have horrible eyesight and spot typos at the last minute, lol. Thanks.


	3. CHAPTER 2: Hell, No

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach.

**Author's Note**: I know, everyone's so OOC, lol. Sorry about that. But, yeah, this is my fic and what I do with the characters is up to me. :p Oh, btw, I don't really know which one's of the Shiba brothers is younger, so I'll just make Kaien older `cause it fits the story. Enjoy! :)

-**oOo**-

_Where is your boy tonight?  
I hope he is a gentleman.  
Maybe he won't find out what I know:  
You are the last good thing about this part of town._

- Grand Theft Autumn, Fall Out Boy

-**oOo**-

Rukia zoomed out of her Creative Writing class like a loose rubber balloon the moment the bell rang out. Not that she hated CW. It was her favorite class so far, but her next period was in four minutes and she didn't really want to be late. One detention was enough to last for the entire school year.

She glanced at her Chappy wristwatch. It was 9:28am.

Correction: two minutes.

_NO!_

_Get the eff out of my effing way!_ she yelled in her head as she weaved through the busy West Wing, occasionally bumping into a distracted student and cursing.

Info Tech (which she had with Tatsuki, Orihime, that jerk Keigo, and a few other classmates) was in the same wing, except on the second floor. So after taking a flight of steps up, she made a right and slipped inside her designated classroom unnoticed.

Most of the faces in this class were completely unfamiliar to her, so she immediately took a seat on a vacant computer cubicle next to Tatsuki, who was too busy sleeping to spot her. The computer behind her was occupied by the always-smiling Orihime who waved at Rukia.

Rukia flashed her a quick grin and placed her book on the small slot underneath the flat screen monitor. She then smoothened out her skirt. Despite attending Karakura high for the past four years, the short, pleated, gray skirt still made her uncomfortable since it was a subject of… _debate_ for the guys.

Not that her legs weren't okay. They were fine, but it's just that, well…

Never mind.

So, yeah.

"—OMG, Lisa, do you know that Charlotte Russe has the most amazing dress on display at the city mall?"

"Oh, yeah. I saw that last night! The cute, baby pink one with the bubble skirt?"

"Yes! Oh, God, I so want – no, _need_ that dress for Friday."

"No, do _not_ get that dress, Hiyori."

"But, _why?_" The girl sounded like she was on the brink of tears.

"`Cause knowing the school dance and the people attending it, there'll be at least half a dozen other women going with the same outfit. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Rukia glanced up to see Hiyori Sarugaki pout. "…No," she said slowly. She then smiled when she noticed the petite brunette. "Hey, Rukia!"

She smiled. "Hi, Hiyori," she greeted the two. "Lisa."

Lisa Yadomaru, the girl with distinct Asian features, long black braids, and glasses, nodded briefly. Rukia didn't like her that much, especially since they've been competing for the school's list of honor rolls since time began. The girl was smart and dangerous and _fairly_ good-looking, as opposed to Rukia's, well, more subtle and simple appearance—

_Whatever._

"So… who're you going to the BTS with?" Hiyori asked her, her short, blond pigtails bouncing as she took her seat beside Rukia.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know if I _am_ going," she answered quietly, knowing that Tatsuki was in the vicinity. "How about you?"

"Well…" she said teasingly, smiling. "I'm going with Kensei Mugurama. He just asked me, like, two days ago, and I said yes!" She then let out a small squeal of delight.

Rukia sweatdropped. "That's…uh, nice, Hiyori—"

She stopped in mid-sentence when the incoherent mumbling and buzzing quieted down and everyone shuffled back to respective computer desks. The reasons, apparently, of the sudden and uncharacteristic silence were:

1) Their regular Info Tech professor, Kukaku Shiba (the older sister of Ganju Shiba, a student in a couple of Rukia's classes), was nowhere in sight, and;

2) She was conveniently replaced by a drop-dead gorgeous, coat-and-tie clad male professor (Thank you, KPHS for the approved and required uniforms for professors!) who made Rukia's jaw drop to the floor.

And that's when she felt like the earth's rotation stopped.

_Oh, my God._

_No._

_Way._

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER TWO  
**_Hell, No_

-**oOo**-

Rukia swallowed. It was the only thing in the room that made a sound except for Tatsuki finally waking up from her deep slumber.

_I don't effing believe it._

She couldn't breathe.

Kaien Shiba was standing in front of the whole class, hands inside the pockets of his black slacks, and looking offhandedly at the mixture of surprise, uncertainty, suspicion, and astonishment that were plastered on his students' faces.

And he looked _hot!_

It had been, what, like, at least five years since she had last seen this guy! (She was only thirteen then.) And yes, their first (and last) encounter had been quite an unforgettable experience. It was just one of her long-term memories that she would always be stuck in her head just in case she wanted a playback of sorts.

And, yes. It was love at first sight.

Well, at least on Rukia's side.

(They were in still in middle school, the seventh grade particularly, and Rukia, Ganju, Orihime, and Renji were assigned to make something that was science exhibit-worthy. The group who would get the first place would get four all-expenses paid trip to Disneyland and an A-plus as a final grade in Science.

Rukia had _never_ been to Disneyland before and that made her all the more determined to snag the prize.

Ganju had the biggest (and most elaborately-decorated) house so they decided to brainstorm… and _conduct_ their experiment there. They stayed in their garage most of the time and after around ten failed attempts at making a simple electric circuit with hot potatoes as batteries, Ganju decided to ask his older brother's help.

It was then that Rukia found out the true meaning of puppy love.

Cupid's arrow was stuck in her heart ever since.

_Sigh._

_Kaien, my love._

He looked to be a typical teenager with short, black, spiky hair. Kaien was around four years older than Ganju, which made him around seventeen – young for a twelfth grader. And way too hot for someone who was still considered a minor. He came into the garage in a loose blue shirt and boxers. (She didn't mind since, _hello_, she had an older brother, too, but DAMN.)

Hell, Rukia even stuttered every time he talked to her! Ganju and Orihime had disappeared into the kitchen to get some snacks while Renji was dozing off in the small cot in the corner, which left her and Kaien on the floor doing the dirty work.

_No, not that kind of dirty work, you perv!_

Kaien: What's this project for, anyway?

Rukia: (blushes) Uhm, it's… for the, uh—Young Inventors exhibit a-at school.

Kaien: Oh. Cool. (fiddles with a piece of wire) So… What's the catch? (chuckles)

_Oh, my God. My heart is officially molten lava._

Rukia: We, uh, g-get to go t-t-to Disneyland if we g-get first place. And an A-plus f-for Science.

Kaien: (frowns at her) You cold or something? Need a jacket?

_Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_

Rukia: (freezes up) I, uhm… uh, y-you see—uhm… Sorry! (runs to the kitchen to hide)

And that's how their first and only conversation went. It ended with Rukia having to take a pee because she got too pumped up and Renji banging on the bathroom door, asking if she was okay.

They got first place though. And Disneyland was the bomb.)

Rukia shook her head slight to rid herself of the flashback and instead focused on the now-adult (twenty-two-year-old) Kaien Shiba who was their substitute (_Please be permanent!_) IT professor. He was taller now, and more… angular—okay fine, muscular! All his boyish features were completely gone as if they weren't there before.

_EEGASP!_

Tatsuki was casting wary glances at her, which reminded Rukia that she wasn't breathing for the past minute or so.

She heaved in a heavy breath.

"Good morning class," he greeted curtly. His voice had gone deeper than she remembered, and it was so… _uhhhh_. "I'm sorry to say that my sister, Miss Kukaku Shiba, is on leave for the time being because of personal reasons. My name is—" He wrote his name on the board with a chalk. Even his handwrting was good. "—Kaien Shiba, your temporary professor for Information Technology. I graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Computer Science, major in Computer Programming."

There was a silent reply from the students, which almost always meant 'Go on. We're frikkin' listening, okay.'

_Can't speak. Must not squeal. ARGH._

Kaien—er, Mr. Shiba laughed. "You're quiet for a bunch of seniors and juniors," he commented before fishing out a small, portable hard drive from his pocket and attaching it to the laptop on his desk. "Okay, please turn on your computers and wait for the document to load. We're going to do a quick recap of what you guys did in your IT class last year…"

"Hey, Lisa," she heard Hiyori say. "Doesn't Mr. Shiba look kinda like Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Rukia froze.

_Hell, no_.

-**oOo**-

_You have three (3) unread mail(s)._

**To**: ChappyFreak88 _(Kuchiki, Rukia)  
_**From**: Byakuya_Kuchiki_ (Kuchiki, Byakuya)  
_**Sent**: _S_eptember 6 at 10:27:12  
**Subject**: (no subject)

Won't be home tonight. I need to attend an important company meeting in L.A. for two days. It's short notice. The hotel's number is on a yellow Post-it on the fridge. Call or e-mail me if there's any trouble. There's money in the cookie jar in the kitchen. That should be enough.

Go home _early_.

From,  
Bro

P.S. You can sleep over at the Arisawa's if you want. Or you can have Tatsuki over. No boys.

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: themangaqueen (_Yadomaru, Lisa_)  
**Sent**: September 6 at 10:45:00  
**Subject**: ANNOUNCEMENT! (Group message)

Good morning, Karakura Lions! Can I hear you roar?

So, as you all know, the upcoming Back-to-School Dance, which will be held at 8pm in the KPHS Gym 2, is this Friday. And as President of the BTS Committee, I'm here to give out a few reminders that all of you should keep in mind before and during the said event:

1. This year's theme is The Masquerade Ball – in short, masks! So don't just come in your best dress and tux, because the Lion who wears the most unique mask gets two tickets to Maroon 5's concert in Downtown Karakura next week!

2. Our very own cooks at the KPHS cafeteria gladly volunteered to lend their excellent catering services, which means that there's an all-you-can-eat buffet as always. But students are also free to bring whatever food or refreshments they can to spice things up a bit. (READ: Light alcoholic drinks are allowed, namely fruit punches, mixed drinks, vodka cruisers, Cali, etc. No beer, tequila, brandy, wine, etc. And yes, Renji Abarai, I'm looking at YOU!)

3. Strictly no outsiders allowed. There are no tickets, but only KPHS students are allowed to attend. I mean, that's why it's called _Back-to-School_ Dance, HELLO.

4. There will be two professor-chaperones with us throughout the night, so please be at your _best_ behavior. (Ack. Hey, a girl can dream, right?)

5. Okay, I know some of the girls (and most of the guys) will probably have my head for this, but the student council officers have laid down a dress code (yes, a _dress code_, as if the uniforms aren't enough) for the school dance. Please check out KPHS's official website for the nitty-gritty details.

For comments, suggestions, donations, or violent reactions, please proceed to the Student Council Office at KPHS027, 8am-11am, 1pm-5pm. Please do not text, e-mail, or IM me your insights because my Blackberry is old and might have a breakdown.

Enjoy the rest of your day and take care!

From,  
The SC Officers and the BTS Committee

* * *

**  
To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 11:27:51  
**Subject**: Hey!

Me, Chad, and Orihime are planning to have lunch in the courtyard. Meet us there. Don't bother bringing food, `cause we have tons of it. (Don't worry, it's not from you-know-who.)

Toods,  
T.A.

-**oOo**-

September 8  
In the school courtyard, under a really big tree  
With Tatsuki, Orihime, Chad, and Chad's parrot

Dear Journal,

I don't really know why I keep this, because I have a gut feeling that Tatsuki will steal this and use it to blackmail me one of these days. But what the heck! I feel like writing anyway.

This is my first entry for this school year, right? So, yeah. Not really much has changed. I'm still in the same school (Lions forever! Ugh. Whatever), hang out with the same three, uh, I mean four friends, since Chad got an endangered specie as a pet, look basically the same (no, I didn't grow taller, ugh.), and I still don't have a _real_ life.

But, yeah, I didn't really decide to write `cause I wanted to whine. The reason why I feel inspired is, well… Remember Kaien Shiba? Yes, of course you remember him. He's been the topic of a chain of debates and entries in my former journals. And… guess what? He's, uhm, my IT professor this year.

Is this a good thing? Idk, but I've got a feeling I'm gonna slip up in his class one way or another. I mean, when I was thirteen, I literally _ran away_ from him just because he asked me if I needed a jacket! Talk about _embarrassing_. Heck, I don't even talk to his brother anymore even if we have classes together. (Is Ganju and Ms. Shiba really, like, related to him? `Cause they don't _look_ related. Ugh, I'm so mean. No wonder I don't grow, lol.)

He looks like he changed, but kind of didn't change at the same time.

To put it plainly, he looks HOT.

_Rawr_.

So anyway, I was in Info Tech when I overheard Hiyori Sarugaki tell Lisa Yadomaru that the Kaien Shiba, the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on, looked _kind of_ like Ichigo Kurosaki, the most obnoxious guy I'd rather _not_ lay eyes on.

Do they really look alike?

(I looked closer at Ichigo's face `cause he was in plain view, with his fan girls hot on his trail.)

Heh, I don't see it.

Gtg, Orihime's starting to bug me. She might see what I'm up to.

Your master,  
Rukia

* * *

"Hey, Rukia…"

Rukia quickly closed her journal and tucked her Chappy pen safely in her breast pocket. "Yeah?"

Orihime handed her a light, square package. "Tatsuki said you needed something to wear to the dance," she explained softly since said tomboy was snoring away in dreamland again.

"Oh! Yeah!" exclaimed Rukia as she took the box and carefully opened it. She took out the soft, silky fabric that was inside and let it sway against the soft wind. It was a simple, pure white, tube dress that, judging by her height, would end just below her knee. A sash was tied around the waist and ended with a ribbon at the back.

Rukia wasn't really a big fan of dresses or anything with ribbons, but she had to admit that the thing was beautiful.

Simple and clean, yet absolutely elegant.

"Oh, wow," she breathed. "Thanks! It's really pretty! This is yours, right?"

Orihime nodded. "I was fourteen when I last wore that though," she said as she eyed the outfit. "It's a bit too short for me now."

She didn't know if that was a compliment, but Rukia didn't really care.

_Ha! It's gorgeous!_

"You'll just need the perfect footwear and mask to go with it," noted Orihime, yawning. She glanced at her watched. "Oh, my God, it's only three minutes till fifth period. C'mon, get up!"

Rukia looked at the time on the school entrance.

_Oh, shit._

-**oOo**-

Rukia wanted to cry the moment the bell rung, signaling the end of the nonsense and gibberish that was taught in her Calc class. _Limits, functions, derivatives, tangents… ARGH!_ It didn't help at all that she was the only one in her circle of friends who was stupid enough to take Calc, so she totally zoned out after the first fifteen minutes and spent the remaining time of the period doodling on her math notes.

_Rukia Kuchiki._

_Kaien Shiba._

_Kaien and Rukia Shiba._

_Rukia Kuchiki-Shiba._

_Mrs. Rukia Shiba._

_Mrs. Kaien Shiba. (Me like this one.)_

_Rukia S._

Her next period was biology, which was at the other end of the wing, so she took off into the always-crowded corridors, went to her locker, nearly got buried in the junk that was in there, grabbed her Biology textbook, and sprinted as fast as her dainty (_HEY!_) legs would take her.

_Why did they have to make these books so thick anyway?_

For the past meetings in her Bio class, not a single professor had shown up. That was regular thing during the first week of classes since KPHS had like a hundreds of students with a student-professor ratio of about 1:30. Schedules are bound to get messed up.

When Rukia reached room BIOL023, she straightened out her slightly creased uniform and took a couple of seconds to catch her breath. It was unusually and utterly soundless inside, so she guessed that someone finally stepped up and decided to teach them a thing or two about the reproductive system.

_Good luck with that_, she thought.

She then swung the door open and stepped inside.

* * *

"_What?_" Rukia could practically feel the blood drain from her face. "Tell me you're kidding."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, according to the name written in big, block letters on the board, blinked at the protesting student before him. "Why would I do that?"

_Because you're a jerkface who was put in this planet to humor me with jokes that aren't even funny!_ she wanted to scream. Rukia then thought of a very brilliant idea and leaned closer. "You see, I can't sit next to Ichigo Kurosaki, because that would mean I'd have to sit on the third row, which is too far from the board."

"And your point being?" said Kurotsuchi, arranging the paperwork on his desk.

"I, uh, have horrible eyesight," lied Rukia. _Please buy it, please buy it—_

Scoffing, Kurotsuchi stood up. "Miss Kuchiki, I'm a Biology professor," he began, taking out a flashlight and directing it at Rukia's eyes. "And it just so happens I can tell if people have 20-20 vision or not. You don't wear prescribed glasses, and yes, I can tell that you don't have contacts despite your weird eye color. Your orbicularis occuli muscles don't look at all strained, so nice try. The Science Bureau requires that all students taking this class should be seated in alphabetical order for easy tallying and you're just unlucky enough to be seated next to some guy who I'd believe is your ex, judging by your reaction. Now please, take a seat so we can begin today's lesson."

It was Rukia's turn to blink.

_I'm not his ex, you weirdo-freak!_

Defeated, she trudged towards the back of the room, aware of the gazes that all but burned a hole through her back.

Biology, Chemistry, and Physics classrooms were always different from regular ones since they spent most of the period doing experiments in which always a student or two would end up in the school clinic for. There were two laboratory desks on each row which seated a couple of unlucky students, which meant that those seated together would be lab partners for the _entire_ school year.

_NO!_

Rukia huffed and took the vacant seat next to the Orange Prince, earning numerous looks of sheer jealousy and malice from the female population of the room. She rolled her eyes and shrugged off her gray school blazer. The tension was making her heat up.

"I always thought were hiding _something_ under that jacket of yours, Shortcake."

A vein popped somewhere in Rukia's head. Every drop of blood in her body rushed up to her face. _Something?_

_Pervert!_

She knew it was just one of his ploys to provoke her. And no, she wasn't going to detention again because of him. Not in this lifetime or the next.

"You'd be a total dickhead if you think I'm talking to you, _Ichigo Kurosaki_," she snapped coolly before putting on her jacket again. _Was 'something' a compliment or not in guy talk?_

"Tch. You just did, Shortcake," he said, his tone unwavering as he ran his hand through his abnormally orange head.

_Screw you!_

"…Now carefully take the slides provided to you and examine it under the microscope. Identity the cell division stage the specimen is undergoing and answer the activity on page eighty-two of your workbooks," Kurotsuchi was saying. "You have thirty minutes."

Rukia grabbed the box of slides at once. The sooner they get this finished, the better.

Actually, anything that didn't concern Ichigo Kurosaki is better.

"You know, Shortcake," Ichigo began as he tinkered with something on the microscope. "I haven't seen you around before. Is this your first year?"

She almost broke the specimen labeled 'pig cardiac muscle' in half.

_WHAT?!_

Incredulously, Rukia shot him a look that could've turned a normal human into stone. Her eyes landed on the unbuttoned top button of his white school blazer.

_You know, he's not that bad_, she thought absentmindedly. _And he does look somewhat like Kaien, except for the orange hair_—

_STOP IT!_

Rukia tore her gaze away from his chest. "No, actually, we've been in the same school since first grade," she told him, examining the slide through the lens. "Now, make yourself useful and write down what I'm going to say."

Ichigo chuckled amusedly. He took her Chappy pen from the desk. "Alright, m'am. Whatever you say."

* * *

Name/s: _Rukia Kuchiki_, **Ichigo Kurosaki  
**Grade: 12  
Subject: General Biology  
Professor: Mr. M. Kurotsuchi

The Cellular Levels of Division  
_(Your handwriting sucks!)  
_(**As if yours is better.**)

Instructions: Carefully examine the slides provided and identify the current level of cellular division the specimen is exhibiting. Please be specific with your answer. Any form or erasure is not allowed and will void your answer, correct or incorrect.

Slide 1: Pig cardiac muscle: METAPHASE  
_That's right.  
_**Are you sure about this?  
**_Fuck you._

Slide 2: Human gastro-intestinal lining: TELOPHASE  
**What?  
**_It's from human intestines, you moron.  
_**Whatever, Shortcake.**

Slide 3: Feline femoral muscle: ANAPHASE  
**This pen's seriously wrecking my image.  
**_Then use your own!  
_**I didn't bring one.  
**_You go to class without a pen?!  
_**Yep.  
**_Ugh._

Slide 4: Cow dermis: PROPHASE  
**And this is…?  
**_Ugh. It's cow skin, stupid.  
_**I think it's a Metaphase.  
**_No, it's not!  
_**Whatever. Don't blame me if we don't full marks.  
**_I'd rather get an A-minus than believe you.  
_**Suit yourself.**

Slide 5: Human bronchial lining: ANAPHASE  
**That's the last one, right?  
**_I think so.  
_**I really think the cow skin's a Metaphase.  
**_Whatever.  
_**Heh. Shortcake.**

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: Whew! That's a whopping ten pages of fanfiction that came out in a matter of… two days? But yeah, whatever. The next chapter's the long-awaited dance, and yes, I know that this story is Ichi/Ruki, but I just don't feel like it's the time for it. YET. Be patient. :)

**Another Note**: Don't you think Kaien Shiba is HOT? :D

* * *


	4. CHAPTER 3: I Have No Frikkin' Idea

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach!

**Author's Note**: Just some clarifications: In this fic, Rukia is Byakuya's biological sister. Hisana is emitted because she'll probably just complicate the story line. :) Oh, for the guys who're reading this, there're a lot of details about dresses and outfits a bit later. Sorry, it gets a little boring, but it's important since this _is_ a high school fic after all!

_Assault Godzilla_: Thanks for the info about the Shiba siblings. Thankfully, my guess is right. Thanks, again. ;)  
_pheonixfire3473_, _SheherazadeSohma_, _AnimeROL_: He is hot, right? Too bad Tite Kubo killed him off in the series, lol. It would've been like _whoa_ if he were still alive. ;)  
_Shigsy_, _Sailor-Helios_, _kaiserkawaii_, _angelic93_: You guys flatter me. Thanks. :) (blushes prettily)  
_NuHollow5150_: Anatomy. Ack. Is it obvious that I'm a premed student? Lol, sorry. Thanks for the comment. :)

This chapter's for you guys. I think you'll like this. (hearts)

-**oOo**-

_Would you look at her?  
__She looks at me.  
__She's got me thinkin' about her constantly,  
__But she don't know how I feel.  
__And she carries on without a doubt,  
__I wonder if she's figured it out:  
__I'm crazy for this girl._

- Crazy For This Girl, Evan and Jaron

-**oOo**-

Rukia opened a sleepy, purple eye to glance at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand. It blinked a very lazy _9:24_ in the frikkin' morning.

…

Her body got up on instinct, her comforter falling on the bed.

_Shit. Did I sleep in?_

She gave it a thought.

_Oh. Right._

Rukia sank back into the sanctity of her warm and fuzzy sheets and let her eyes rest for bit longer.

Tonight was the, uh, big night and it was KPHS tradition to conveniently give students the day off to prepare since many of them (particularly the girls) always had last minute changes/additions to their outfits and hairdo and the guys had to find the perfect suit that wouldn't make them look completely stupid.

It also gave those who didn't give a damn the whole day to slack of.

_Which reminds me…_ she thought sluggishly. _I still need to find shoes and a mask. ARGH. Why on earth did I even say I was going anyway?_

She stretched out like a cat in the afternoon sun and willed her body to get up.

Her laptop was calling her name.

* * *

**  
Username**: ChappyFreak88  
**Password**: headoverfeet

…

_You have successfully signed on._

…

You have zero (0) offline message(s).  
You have zero (0) incoming friend request(s).  
You have zero (0) outgoing friend request(s).

You have nine (9) out of thirty-two (32) friend(s) online.  
1. mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_) – "I know u want me. ;)" (_You appear offline to this friend._)  
2. ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_) – "SLEEPING."  
3. keigo_asano_4ever (_Asano, Keigo_) – "Busy. Playing Warcraft III."  
4. littlemisslezz (_Honsho, Chizuru_) – "So frikkin excited!"  
5. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Not here. Out getting groceries. :)"  
6. TheQuincyHeir (_Ishida, Uryu_) – "Busy. Physics hw."  
7. ChickMagnet2002 (_Kojima, Mizuiro_) – "Hello there, m'ladies!"  
8. BlowItAway69 (_Muguruma, Kensei_) – "I'm available."  
9. amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_) – "…"

…

**Change display message**

…

**Please enter your new display message**: "Who here has size 5 feet? I need a pair of white ballet shoes ASAP. (Sarcastic responses will be ignored.)"

* * *

_DING!_

**ChappyFreak88**: Hey!

**ChappyFreak88**: Tatsuki!

_DING!_

**ChappyFreak88**: Get up, you bitch!

_DING!_

_DING!_

_DING!_

**ur_worst_nightmare**: …?!

**ChappyFreak88**: Finally.

**ChappyFreak88**: Took you long enough!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You do know there's a reason why I chose this screen name, right?

**ChappyFreak88**: Yeah, I know it _very_ well.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: What do you want, you freak?

**ChappyFreak88**: Thanks for telling Orihime I needed something to wear, btw. The dress looks awesome. But I need the right shoes to go with it.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: …?

**ChappyFreak88**: So… I was wondering if you've got a pair you can lend me for tonight!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You woke me up for _shoes_?!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: That's it, I'm going back to bed. Bye.

**ChappyFreak88**: Hey! Wait!

_ur_worst_nightmare has signed out._

**ChappyFreak88**: I _hate_ you.

_ur_worst_nightmare is currently offline. The recipient will receive your message on his/her next online session._

**ChappyFreak88**: Ladies and gentlemen, my best friend.

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 09:56:22  
**Subject**: About the shoes…

I think I have a pair you'd like. My mom bought me these white ballet shoes when I was, like, 15 and I never really got around to wearing them. They're a size 5.

Would you like me to drop them off at your place?

XOXO,  
Cheeze

P.S. I was gonna IM you, but you signed out already.

* * *

**  
To**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 09:59:07  
**Subject**: Re: About the shoes…

Hmmm… Sure, why not. I'm here all day till 7PM.

What's the catch though?

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

  
****To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 10:02:34  
**Subject**: You were always the smart one, Rukia Kuchiki.

Get me a date with Orihime Inoue.

XOXO,  
Cheeze

**

* * *

**

**To**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 10:05:16  
**Subject**: I know I am.

You've caught me at a very bad time.

Alright, I'll get you the date. Just bring the damn shoes here by five. Or before would be better.

Is midterms okay? You know how… preoccupied my friend is. It might take some time for me to convince her to get a blind date (which I know is the only way for her to agree).

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

  
****To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 10:06:41  
**Subject**: Deal.

I'll drop the shoes at your place in by three.

XOXO,  
Cheeze

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER THREE  
**_I Have No Frikkin' Idea_

-**oOo**-

Rukia, in a plain baby blue tee and jeans, set the microwave oven to five minutes and leaned on the marble counter, watching last night's lasagna rotate under the yellow ultraviolet light. Yes, it was her breakfast.

And straight-from-the-carton Tropicana.

_Ugh._

She found it hard to admit, but she really did miss her constipated older brother when he was away on his stupid business trips. He usually made breakfast for her which was such a sweet convenience since she, well, can't really make a decent meal without setting the stove on fire.

Of course she wanted Byakuya to get back from his trip and find that there's still a home to go back to, not just ashes and soot.

With a yawn, she hopped on the countertop, scratching her ankle with a sock-clad toe.

**AGENDA FOR TODAY**:

1. "Make" breakfast – _Almost done._

2. Find shoes (preferably white) – _Done._

3. Find mask (something that matches the shoes) – _Here lies the problem._

4. Ask the bitch's (Tatsuki's) help – _As if._

5. Go to BTS dance, and get out alive – _I've yet to know._

Rukia groaned inwardly. Why did they even have to make it a masquerade ball anyway? This was high school, not some classy Renaissance get-together where busty women wore fancy dresses they could barely breathe in and men wore those ghastly wigs!

And she knew who was behind this ploy.

_You never fail to make me suffer, Lisa Yadomaru, directly or indirectly. I hope you break both of your three-inch heels tonight and fall into the punch bowl._

She didn't have time to make a mask now and it's been, what, six years since she dressed up for Halloween (and she had no idea where Byakuya stashed all her little-girly things). The nearest costume store, which she hadn't gone to in _ages_, was forty minutes away and—

The microwave sounded off. Her lasagna was done.

—it was _perfect_.

Rukia finished her breakfast, downed her orange juice, and was out the door in a flash.

* * *

Ten minutes into the freeway…

"I'll need to see your license, little missy."

_Little missy?! _"Here."

"Are you sure you're over sixteen?"

"Yes, _officer_, I just turned eighteen this year."

"Sure you did."

_Screw you!_

* * *

The Urahara Shop, which was owned by, of course, Kisuke Urahara (oddly also her homeroom adviser) and was managed by kids who Rukia guessed were his nephews and nieces since he wasn't really married. The guy was a freak anyway, so she wasn't surprised when she found out he owned this… _cave_ where one could find the most bizarre things on the planet.

That, ugh, hat gave it away anyway.

She cleared out her throat. "Hello?"

Silence. No one answered.

"_Hello?_" Rukia called out a little louder. "Anybody here—?"

A female voice came from the back of the room. "Ow—Good morning!" someone said. "Welcome to the Urahara Shop!"

Rukia turned around to see a small girl, around seven or eight years old, emerge from the door leading to the stockroom. She had long, black hair tied in two pigtails on the top of her head and two stray bangs on her face. The girl looked like a doll or something.

The nametag on her shirt read, 'Ururu.'

_Weird name. Too many U's._

"Uhm, hi," Rukia said hesitantly as the saleslady (salesgirl?) went behind the dusty counter. "I was wondering where you guys kept your masks."

Ururu nodded and gestured for Rukia to follow here towards one corner of the shop. It was hidden from view so she hadn't noticed it there before. She quickly ducked to avoid what looked like a piece of prosthetic leg that was hanging from the ceiling and trailed after her.

The little girl (_Yes, the saleslady!_) pushed the black curtain that was covering a portion of the wall to reveal the most impressive collection of masks she had ever laid eyes on. It ranged from menacing African tribal ones, to gold-lined, dragon faces that obviously came from China. There was even one that looked like a peacock's ass.

_Wow. That's just disturbing._

"You're from the city, right?" Ururu asked her as she watched Rukia's appalled expression.

"Yeah," she replied without looking. "Let me guess, I'm not the first one who came here looking for a mask, right?"

Ururu nodded again. "School dance?"

"Yep."

A couple of quiet moments passed and Rukia was still dubious. She knew that whoever came with the most eccentric mask would get those really expensive tickets (Maroon 5 is just awesome, like _whoa_), but she really wanted to lie low for tonight, and a simple mask would guarantee that.

"Don't you have, like, uhm, an _unfussy_ one?" she asked Ururu. "You know, one that just covers my eyes. Maybe something in white?"

She placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm… I think I may just have something like that. Wait here." She then disappeared back into the stockroom.

Ururu came back a few minutes later, covered in dust, coughing, and holding a small black, velvet box in her hands. Slowly, as if on purpose, she opened it up and showed Rukia what was inside.

To put it simply, it was perfect.

The mask was, as Rukia asked for, in white. It was adorned with sparkling sequins around the eyes and had just the right amount of fur on the edges for that Renaissance/classy feel. The material was made of silk and looked like it was made _just_ for her.

_You could've saved us both time if you just put it on the frikkin' display!_

"How much do you want it for?" she asked cautiously, taking the box.

"Uhm, fifteen bucks?" Ururu suggested, shrugging her small shoulders.

Rukia slouched disapprovingly. "Ten dollars."

"Twelve."

"Fine. I'll take it."

-**oOo**-

Tatsuki honked her horn impatiently on the Kuchiki driveway at half-past seven. "Move it, freak!"

"Hold your fucking horses!" Rukia yelled behind the closed front door. She was still fiddling with the clasp on the ballet shoes she borrowed from that lesbo, Chizuru, and was having a hard time tying it around her ankles.

_Damn it!_

When she was satisfied, Rukia straightened up and took one last look on the full-length body mirror on the wall beside the door.

_Whew!_

For the first time in her lifetime, her bangs were tucked behind her ear (thanks to her brother's hairspray, because it just kept falling persistently back to her face) and her short hair was carefully (and painfully) twisted into a small bun behind her head. Orihime's tube dress hugged her body at all the right places and fell just bellow her knees. The mask, which cost her a day's worth of food money, was secured in place by a black elastic strap.

Personally, Rukia thought she looked great. And her lip gloss (which she never used before) was to die for.

She brought with her a small, white (of course) clutch bag, which had her money, school ID, and her precious red Blackberry.

_Okay_, she told herself, breathing. _This is the first and last high school dance you'll ever go to, Rukia Kuchiki. Don't mess this up. You are a Kuchiki, and Kuchikis never end up in the school yearbook for doing something stupid—_

Tatsuki honked again.

"Alright, I'm coming, you bitch!"

* * *

"You look beautiful!" squealed Orihime as Rukia climbed into the backseat. "I knew it'd fit you!"

Thank God it was dark, because she blushed at the flattering comment. "Thanks," she muttered. "You look really nice, too."

"Really? Thank you!"

It was the truth, of course. Orihime really didn't look half bad (she looked stunning) in her midnight blue evening dress with thin straps. Her usually straight hair was made into a delicate chignon that cascaded down her shoulders in a red-brown waterfall (snowflakes still in place) and her eyes gleamed behind her matching mask which was similar to Rukia's, only the same shade of blue as her outfit.

"Yeah, yeah, you should be," Tatsuki said to her best friend. She slammed on the gas and they revved off to the side streets. "Took both of you ages to finish playing dress-up!"

"Shut up and drive!"

Tatsuki kept her word (er, message) and was sporting a black, form-fitting tuxedo, complete with a very feminine ribbon at her collar. Her mask was a simple, black ribbon with holes for the eyes. Rukia thought she looked like Zorro minus the whip.

_Wapack!_

Of course, she didn't say that aloud for the sake of making it to school alive and breathing.

Chad was silently sitting on the passenger seat, wearing a white tux and red tie. Like Tatsuki, his mask was Zorro-like, but not that it mattered since anyone would recognize him straight away, because the guy was just way too huge.

A couple of minutes into the road, Orihime started babbling away about how her older brother insisted that he'd be _her_ date for the ball, since he, like Byakuya Kuchiki, was suffering from 'sister syndrome' and didn't like any guy standing within a two-mile radius near Orihime.

"…and I told him, no! There was no way he was coming, too, `cause that would just ruin _everything_ for me, and for you, of course since he and your brother are tight and all…"

Rukia was in a car full of dateless freaks.

She groaned.

Thankfully, the school was only twenty minutes away.

-**oOo**-

Everything happened in a flash the moment the four of them stepped into the KPHS gym.

Since it _was_ her first time to go to a school dance, well, she didn't really know what her friends usually did during the said activity, that's why she was left, sitting on the bleachers by the sidelines, watching dancing/bobbing people having the time of their lives on the dance floor.

_Hurrah._

Within the first minute, needless to say, Chad and Tatsuki went straight to the buffet table to pig-out till early morning and Orihime was dancing with a guy who introduced himself as a "secret admirer" and disappeared with the rest of the couples who were slow dancing in a secluded corner.

_'Secret admirer,' my ass_, Rukia scoffed. _Anyone can see through your disguise, Uryu Ishida._

She gracefully took a sip of pineapple punch from her paper cup. Rukia savored the 'tainted' liquid as it slowly traveled down her throat and stomach, warming her up considerably. It was kind of cold anyway since it was fall and all.

_This stuff's awesome!_

In one gulp, she downed the rest of the drink and got up to get a fourth—no, fifth helping.

The gym looked amazing, she noticed as she weaved through the jumping crowd. The BTS committee outdid themselves obviously. Shimmering garlands hung from the high ceiling and a giant, glittering disco ball was spinning above the middle of the floor, covering everyone with gleams of crystal light. There were balloons of all shapes and sizes everywhere and confetti constantly fell from the roof ever fifteen or so minutes. The basketball rings were used to hang an enormous banner that read: 'Welcome back, Lions!'

And, yes, she did see one guy who was wearing that peacock-ass mask she saw at Urahara's store.

The booming sound system was playing something from Rihanna's new album that had recently hit the charts, and she found herself nodding her head to the catchy rhythm as she walked.

"Okay, listen up, everyone!" The deejay said, his voice echoing across the room as he turned down the music. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to look at him. "What I have here's—" He raised two pieces of cards. "—two tickets to Maroon 5's _sold out_ concert in downtown Karakura next week—"

_Yeah, too bad I can't get those_, she thought meekly. _Not with that peacock ass around._

There was a blend of excited cheers, squeals and wolf-whistles from the crowd. The deejay then gestured for them to quiet down.

"Now, the Lion—" Someone, most probably Renji Abarai, from the floor gave a really realistic roar. "—Thank you—who has the sweetest, finest, and the most I've-_never_-seen-that-shit-before mask will get to take these babies home—!"

The crowd erupted into energized screams again.

"Watch your language, Mr. Amagai!" one of the chaperones (Rukia couldn't tell who) yelled from the sidelines.

He ignored the warning. "—Now, party people of Karakura Private High School… Can I hear you _roar_?"

Rukia could've sworn entire gymnasium shook like it was struck by a ten-decibel earthquake with the snarls and hollers that came from every single student in the room. She unconciously grabbed a nearby arm to avoid toppling over.

Wait.

Arm?

She looked up, muttering a silent thanks to her mask and the low lights that somehow concealed her eye color. Rukia was the only one in school who had blue-violet eyes and anyone could tell who she was straight away under clear light, masquerade ball or not.

The guy was wearing a dark coat-and-tie and, dare she say it, a Zorro mask. (_Is that a trend for guys tonight?_) His hair was short and flipped out at the edges and there was just something familiar with his… aura—

_Mizuiro._

_Please tell me he didn't recognize me._

"Hey, there," he said, half-yelling over the music. The 'party people' had resumed their… partying. "I haven't seen you around school before. Are you new?"

Normally, she would be offended, but, in this case, she was more than grateful. _Yes!_

"Uhm, yeah," she lied as she scooped some punch into her cup, faking a slightly high-pitched girly voice. "I just transferred from Seireitei high." _Loser! I'm so good._

Mizuiro nodded. "I'm Mizuiro Kojima," he volunteered, shaking her hand. "And you are?"

"I'm, uh, Hisana," she said weakly, praying that he wouldn't ask for a last name because she couldn't think of any.

He smiled that playboy smile of his. "Well, Hisana," he began, offering his hand to Rukia. "Would you give me the honor of being your first dance tonight?"

_Yes, actually, I mind_._ Wait—you were spying on me?! _"Uhm, well, you see, I... don't think my _date_ would like that very much, Kojima-kun," she lied again, edging away from him. _Tatsuki, where the hell are you?! I kind of need you right now, you bitch—_

"Well, I don't see your date around," he said mischievously as he glanced around the room. "It's just a friendly dance, nothing to worry about."

_Can't you take a hint, for Christ's sake?!_ "Really, he's kind of overprotective and he'd cause trouble if—"

Rukia was cut short when someone put a very masculine arm around her shoulders, effectively shutting Mizuiro up.

"Where've you been? I've been looking all over for you," the mystery man said, his voice deep and muffled.

_Wha—_

The sudden urge to beat the crap out of the guy flashed through her mind for a millisecond before it sunk it. _Oh… Okay. _She decided to go along for the ride. "Sorry, I was just getting more punch," she said, playing along with her 'feminine' voice.

_Whoever you are, I owe you one._

"Oh, sorry, man," Mizuiro apologized at once, standing up straight. "I thought she was alone."

The guy nodded. "It's fine," he said stiffly, before leading Rukia to a less-congested area of the gym. They stopped walking once Mizuiro was out of sight and the guy immediately released his gentle grip on her shoulder.

Rukia looked up (like she always did since she was so—) and did a quick scan of her, uhm, _savior_. He was in a formal black tuxedo just like most of the other guys, but was wearing the most looming and disturbing mask she'd seen yet.

Yes, even after she'd seen that peacock one.

The mask was white with thick, black lines around the eyes and blood-red, tiger-like stripes coming from the left side and disappearing into willowy spikes towards the center of his face. Its mouth was an intimidating array of bare teeth that reminded her of a skull. The eyeholes were covered with bright yellow and obviously see-through material that completely obscured his eyes from view.

And it was the kind of stuff that would give her nightmares for a week.

"Sorry, I know it's a little early for Halloween," the guy said with a laugh and ran his hand through his spiky hair. (She couldn't tell the color since it was too damn dark in the gym.) He noticed the disturbed look on her face probably. "It's the best one I could get."

Rukia tore her gaze from his face and tried to smile. But failed. "Uhm, thanks for getting that jerk off my back," she said, as she gripped her punch glass and eyed the dancing crowd bouncing on their heels.

He chuckled. It sounded off behind that creepy mask. "Your ex?"

"Nah. He has a thing for older women and that's just, like, _ew_." She couldn't hide the disgust in her tone.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They were silent for the next few minutes with a Beyoncé song erupting loudly from the speakers.

_This is awkward_, she thought, drinking from her glass, her clutch bag in her other hand. _Say something!_

"So…" he started before she could speak. "Where's your real date?"

Rukia smiled, a real one this time. "I was gonna ask you the same thing," she said. "Uhm…"

"Oh, I'm alone," they said together, before their reticent laughter mixed with the music.

"That's just… weird," he said with another soft chuckle as he pocketed his hand.

Rukia's face turned pink and fanned herself with her hand. _He's a pretty nice guy._ "I know." _Is it getting hot in here? Or is it just the punch?_

…

The room unfocused and then focused back like a camera lens.

_Weeeeee!_

_Yeah, it's the punch._

"Do you wanna go out?" she blurted before realizing how that sounded like. She could imagine the guy raising an amused eyebrow at him behind his mask. "Uhm, I m-mean, out the g-gym. I'm k-kinda getting h-hot—No, wait! Not _that_ kind of hot-_hot_. I mean to say, the lights and the dancing pee-people are making me s-sweat out and I was won-wondering if—you'd wanna l-leave for a s-sec..."

_Oh, my God. Am I stuttering?_

_That's never happened to me since the first time I met_—

The guy took the paper cup from her fingers and laughed. "You know, this pineapple punch contains more alcohol than actual fruit juice," he said charmingly. "C'mon, let's get you some fresh air."

Rukia grinned and she couldn't agree more.

-**oOo**-

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 21:52:44  
**Subject**: Where are you, you freak?

We leave you for one friggin' hour and now we can't find you? Where the hell are you? Even Chad, who's the second tallest building in the world, can't spot you anywhere.

Food's awesome, btw. You should try the tempura. It's like falling in love.

Not that I've experienced that, but, yeah.

Toods,  
T.A.

P.S. I caught Orihime making out with Uryu. Ack. We leave at midnight.

-**oOo**-

The KPHS courtyard was surprisingly empty tonight. Rukia guess that many of the couples decided to take advantage of the many vacant classrooms and janitor's closets that littered the buildings tonight. There were only, like, two prof-chaperones amongst the three hundred half-drunk students so it was pretty easy to sneak out.

Not to mention the two chaperones were probably drunk, making-out somewhere, too.

She sat down (_Careful with the dress!_) on one of the old-fashioned wooden benches around the flowing fountain that shimmered under the few lampposts on the walkways. The moon was nowhere to be seen, so it was still pretty dark and she was well-assured that, whoever this guy was, he wouldn't recognize her.

Honestly, she was secretly impressed that her outfit fooled Mizuiro Kojima since the guy was almost in _all_ her classes since, like, second grade.

Rukia breathed in the cool, autumn air, her lungs welcoming the oxygen. She felt her lightheadedness slowly fading away.

"Better?" the guy asked as he sat down next to her, on the other end of the short bench.

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Yeah," she said softly before looking sideways at him with one eye. "So… Do I get to see my knight in shining armor?"

_Wait—Am I flirting?_

_This is SO not me._

He chuckled again. It was the kind that made women go weak in the knees, she could tell, even if she was well immune to it. (Hello, she was _the_ Byakuya Kuchiki's little sister, DUH.)

"Do I get to see my damsel in distress?" he shot back coolly.

_Oh, this guy's good._

_And I think I like him—_

_Wait—WHAT?_

"Hmmm…" Rukia feigned a thoughtful expression before she opened her other eye. "Maybe." She held out her hand to the marble fountain behind them where the cold liquid hit her fingers. She flicked them at his coat and tie, spraying it with drops of water.

"Hey, watch it!" He said before following suit and dousing her dress with more water than was necessary. The guy laughed as he gripped her wrists, stopping her from reaching out to the fountain again.

_Asswipe!_

_But a very fine asswipe at that!_

"I just borrowed this dress, you idiot!" she yelp as she tried to struggle free from his grasp, her legs flailing. "You're at an advantage—!"

"Oh, am I?" he asked her teasingly, his face hovering just an inch from her.

And that's when she piped down.

Suddenly, his mask didn't look so frightening anymore.

_Oh, my God._

Her female hormones, which she didn't knew she had, kicked in.

"Yeah, y-you are…" Rukia trailed off before she slowly ran her fingertips across the edge of his mask and lifted it slightly at his chin, revealing his lips. She realized she didn't want to find out who he really was at the moment.

Where was the fun in that?

_To whoever brought that stupid punch: Screw you._

_And God, thank you for the Estrogen._

He smiled a crooked smile before he kissed her.

And Rukia found herself kissing him back.

-**oOo**-

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 23:58:07  
**Subject**: ZOMGWTFEEGASP!

Bitch, where are you?

I've something to tell you, and I swear to Kami you will NOT believe me.

Don't you dare leave; you're my only ride home!

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 8 at 23:59:46  
**Subject**: Is this about Kaien Shiba again?

I'm at the parking lot with Chad. Orihime said to go without us. Apparently, Uryu is riding her home.

Ugh, that didn't sound quite right, did it?

Whatever. Just hurry up. And tell me the story tomorrow, because I might fall asleep while driving, okay? (No offense meant.)

Toods,  
T.A.

-**oOo**-

"Hey!"

"..."

"I'm talking to you, idiot!"

"What the hell do you want, you fag?!"

"I just met the most _amazing_ girl."

"Tch. Like I haven't heard that one before."

"No, I'm serious. She's _amazing_. She was in this white dress and smelled like baby cologne and I _kissed_ her—!"

"Dude, I think you just made-out with a really hot ghost or something—"

"No, she's not a ghost, Renji, damn it! I _kissed_ her! And it felt... _different_."

"That's the gayest thing you've said all night."

"Fuck you."

"Well, who is she then?"

…

"I have no frikkin' idea."

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: Can anyone guess who Rukia's knight in shining armor is?

**Another Note**: Would I be the meanest and bitchiest fanfictiondotnet writer if I said that won't update this story unless I get a total of forty (40) signed reviews or more? ;) (wink)

(EDITTED: No, I won't stop the updates, but this is probably the last of my _daily_ updates since, well, Christmas break is coming to a (reluctant) close and it'll take me a while to dig up myself from term papers and homework. So yeah, I'll update weekly, so just keep the reviews coming.)


	5. CHAPTER 4: Hey, Batter Batter, Swing!

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: The only kind of bleach I own is the one that keeps my undies crisp and white.

**Author's Note**: I'm well aware that Karin Kurosaki (one of Ichigo's little twin sisters) is a soccer player, but since I'm not informed about soccer and its gameplay, I decided to make her a baseball player in this story. I want to make scenes like these as realistic as possible even if they're not important to the storyline, so yeah. I played baseball back in my high school days anyway, so it's a lot easier for me to write about it. :)

**Another Note**: OMG, I didn't think the forty reviews were even possible! Thank you so much! You guys are just awesome. (BIG BEAR HUG)

-**oOo**-

_Tell me all that you've thrown away,  
__Find out games you don't wanna play.  
__You are the only one that needs to know…  
__I'll keep you my dirty little secret!  
__Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret.  
__Hope that you can keep it,  
__My dirty little secret.  
__Who has to know?_

- Dirty Little Secret, The All-American Rejects

-**oOo**-

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You have thirteen (13) out of fifty-six (56) friend(s) online.  
1. mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_) – "Hangover."  
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6. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Good morning!"  
7. TheQuincyHeir (_Ishida, Uryu_) – "Target practice, brb."  
8. ChickMagnet2002 (_Kojima, Mizuiro_) – "hangoverrr"  
9. BlowItAway69 (_Muguruma, Kensei_) – "Hangover."  
10. amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_) – "…"  
11. pigtails_r_kewl (_Sarugaki, Hiyori_) – "Mwahaha."  
12. HutcyWutchy1234 (_Ushoda, Hachigen_) –"!?!!!?!?!"  
13. themangaqueen (_Yadomaru, Lisa_) – "BUSY."

…

**Ignore all incoming friend requests? (Y/N)**

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**(_WARNING: Deleted offline messages may never be retrieved._)

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**(_If he/she accepts your invitation, your screen name will appear on the user's friend lists when he/she signs in._)

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**Please enter the screen name of the contact you wish to invite**: ChappyFreak88

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-**oOo**-

"Tell me you're an extraterrestrial who takes profound and orgasmic pleasure at manipulating young and stuck-up peculiar members of the human race such as Rukia Kuchiki, the only heiress to the noble Kuchiki clan. Okay, no, scratch that. Who the hell are you, and what have you done to my best friend? I'm a black belt at karate. I'm the second strongest kid in my age group in this country and I'm not afraid of you."

Rukia rolled her eyes before she took a bite of toast. "Oh, come _on_, it was just a kiss, you bitch," she said. Pause. "Wait, did you just say 'orgasmic'?"

"Quit changing the topic, freak," Tatsuki said as she sat down across the table from her.

She huffed.

After the dance, Tatsuki, after dropping off Chad at his granpa's place, decided to sleep over at Rukia's since she was 'too tired to drive and might crash the car.' She agreed, wanting to take advantage of his brother's absence and was just dying to tell Tatsuki what happened, but the bitch slept like the dead the moment she fell on Rukia's bed, which is why _this_ was happening.

"Relax," she told the girl, who was close to hyperventilating. "It was just a kiss with a really nice guy I met at the dance. You're acting like I had sex with him or something."

The tomboy raised an eyebrow at her.

"Which I _didn't_… have, of course," she added convincingly.

"Do you even know who he is?"

The other girl shook her head.

"Any leads?"

"Hell, I don't even know what he looks like with that damn mask of his."

"How did it happen anyway?" asked Tatsuki while she stuffed a whole Oreo in her mouth.

Rukia shrugged. "Like how it always happens."

"Wow, thanks. That's very _helpful_, freak." She threw a cookie at her friend. "Give me the _details_. I don't wear makeup or earrings or any of that shit, but I'm a girl, too, just in case you forget."

She dodged it easily. "_Kissing_," she began, swallowing her food. "The scientific term for kissing or 'making out' is _osculation_, which is the semi-angular juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles of two members of the Animalia Kingdom, usually couples, and is commonly done as a manifestation of amorous affection or sexual drive—"

"That's not what I meant! Wait—_Sexual drive?!_ And stop being Little Miss Wikipedia, it's giving me a headache!"

Rukia grinned triumphantly— "Did you just call me 'little'?!"

"Because you're a walking freak of nature and you won't tell me how your first kiss went, yes, maybe I did! Oh, and I just noticed a few other things: You're short! Tiny! Small! Miniscule! I can barely see you—!"

"Bitch!"

"Freaky midget!"

"Lesbo!"

"Screw you!"

"Get the hell out of my house!"

"_Make me!_"

CRASH.

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER THREE  
**_Hey, Batter-Batter, Swing!_

-**oOo**-

September 9  
In my bedroom, on my comfy bed  
Just by myself (After finally getting rid of that bitch, Tatsuki)

Dear Journal,

My brother will have my head on a silver platter.

Well, figuratively, of course, since I'm the only family he's got left (since mom and dad passed away) and I'm probably the only girl who's patient enough to stick with him.

But anyway…

You know how he always told me to live up to the Kuchiki name (`cause we're so 'noble' and all)? Well, yeah, I think I just gave him enough reasons to disown me.

Why?

Ahem.

**REASONS WHY BYAKUYA WOULD DISOWN ME**:

- When I was three, I was the one who pooped in the front lawn, not the neighbor's cat.

- The worst part is I made him pick _it_ up. (With a poop bag, of course.)

- When I was five, I secretly cut off his hair while he was sleeping just for kicks.

- When I was eight, I accidentally set his favorite boxers on fire and I didn't tell him. He thought it got lost in the dryer.

- When I was ten, I stole his ATM from his wallet so I could buy a PlayStation.

- When I was fifteen, I lied and told him I was going to sleep over at Tatsuki's with Orihime to do a paper on Napoleon Bonaparte, but the truth is we got pissed drunk that night.

- When I was sixteen, I stole his car behind his back just to prove that I can actually drive.

- I crashed it on a tree and told him that a bum came out of nowhere and tried to take it and I stopped him just in time. He seemed to buy it until now.

- I went to the school dance last night without telling him. (I looked great in the dress, if I do say so myself!)

- I got a _little_ drunk `cause the punch was awesome.

- I made out with a mystery man while at said dance. (I'll fill you on this later.)

- I came home at almost one in the morning last night—er, today.

- And I don't think he _knows_ any of these.

…

If you were human and had legs, you'd be bouncing on your heels right now and start bugging me, "Who is this _mystery guy_ you just made out with?"

Well, to tell you honestly, I don't know who he is.

Funny? But yeah, the dance last night was themed "The Masquerade Ball" so everyone wore these fancy masks, so I couldn't tell which was who.

He's an awesome kisser, btw. His lips are so soft, sweet, cool, and just so… kissable!

The guy tasted like… Tropicana on a really, really hot summer day, while on the beach! (Although we actually kissed on the school's courtyard, beside the fountain, slightly shivering in the autumn air… but yeah, you get the point.)

Too bad I had to end it and go home. (Screw that bitch, Tatsuki! She wanted to leave by midnight and she was my only ride home! Screw it, screw it, screw it! I feel like Cinderella.)

…

So that's how it was. No wonder I always see people at school doing _it_ under staircases…

Oh God, that was my first kiss and I didn't even know who I gave it to!

…

I really, really wanna know who he is though. I mean, I really like the guy (not just because of the kiss). He was such a gentleman! See, last night, Mizuiro was trying to hit on me and was asking me to dance with him, and I was, like, no way, José. And then _he_ came just in the nick of time and pretended to be my date just to get rid of that jerk.

My knight in shining armor. _Sigh._

I really wanna know who he is. And what he looks like.

So I've narrowed down my search results (I really need to stop Googling stuff):

The guy is obviously a student of KPHS (Well, duh, since only officially enrolled students were allowed to go to the dance!) and…

Well, that's about it.

Great. There's about, like, two hundred fifty guys in KPHS right now, and the only way I can tell him apart from the rest is how he kisses.

…

I know what you're thinking! And no, I'm not gonna make out with every guy in school just to figure out who he is! That's just plain bitchy and I might get mono.

But he really is a good kisser. _Rawr._

And I hope he finds me soon.

`Cause I sure as hell can't find him.

Waiting in vain,  
Rukia

-**oOo**-

The weekend went by in a breeze, and before Rukia knew it, she was in Info Tech again, all but drooling over the too-sexy-for-his-shirt, her first and only puppy love, Kaien Shiba. He was going on with his lecture about Internet terminologies, which, surprisingly, only a few of them knew considering that most of the student population practically _lived_ on the Net.

"…The World Wide Web, or WWW, is basically a big network of computers that are interconnected by…"

But Rukia didn't care, of course. If she wasn't staring at his perfectly chiseled face, she was making a very poor, but somehow similar version of him on Paint in her computer.

Well, it was similar for her, since most of her classmates couldn't really recognize it as Kaien, because the only thing she could draw _pretty_(?) well was Chappy the Rabbit. It was both a blessing and a curse.

_Sigh. Smile. Sigh._

She drew in a very crooked line across his face, which was his smile—

"…Ms. Kuchiki, are you with us?"

Rukia's looked up from her monitor screen and blushed.

_EEEEEEP!_

She quickly closed the Paint window as all gazes on the room focused on her.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, trying her best not to squeak. Oh, those eyes of his that she could just get lost in for all eternity… "Could you repeat the question again?"

Tatsuki shook her head in exasperation as her hand flew to her forehead. "Freak."

"I asked you if you knew the meaning of the acronym 'HTTP' and the place where you usually see it," Kaien repeated to her politely. He didn't seem to recognize her as his brother's friend five years ago.

That was good. _Ish._

She fidgeted. "Uhm, it's, uh, Hyper T-Text Transfer Protocol, s-sir," she answered him, looking at her shoes. _What's wrong with you!_ "It's usually f-found at the address b-bar, at the b-beginning of web-websites, sir."

Kaien suddenly looked amused.

"You know, you look familiar to me," he said.

_Oh, no._

Tatsuki started laughing quietly in her seat.

"Uhm…" she began. _I was the girl who almost wet her pants because of you! DUH?_

"You're my little brother's friend, right?"

Rukia nodded a stiff nod. _And I also think I'm gonna faint. Oh, he shouldn't have gotten a suit that fitted his fine body oh-so-well_—

"Rukia, right?" he remembered after a few moments of thought.

She nodded again.

_EEGASP! He remembers me!_

Le squeal!

ARGH.

She let out a sigh of relief when he turned his attention to the board. "That's right, like Miss Rukia Kuchiki said, 'HTTP' stands for 'Hyper Text Transfer Protocol' and is usually typed before a webpage name. It's purpose is to…"

…_completely humiliate me._

_ARGH._

_Can I die now?_

-**oOo**-

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: Byakuya_Kuchiki (_Kuchiki, Byakuya_)  
**Sent**: September 12 at 16:28:22  
**Subject**: (no subject)

Pick up some groceries while you're out. We're running out of food. Use your money. I'll pay you back as soon as you get home. You know what to buy.

From,  
Bro

* * *

Rukia rolled her eyes and regretted leaving her iPod at home this morning.

It was just after a very depressing period of Visual Arts and she raised an eyebrow the moment a certain someone was gracefully escorted away by the inevitable and indestructible 'Ichigo Kurosaki Fan Club' once he stepped out of his classroom which was coincidentally beside hers.

His fan girls always looked the same, dressed the same (with uniforms or not), were wading at his hand and food in the same manner, and showering him with comments in a very odd and parallel way.

Rukia felt a shiver go up her spine. She turned around to wait for Tatsuki to come out of her room, but she could still overhear _everything_.

_How I wish I had a magic wand right now._

_Accio iPod!_

"Your hair's really cute, Kurosaki-kun," one of the clones said. "Is it, like, naturally orange?"

"As natural as our chemistry, babe," he replied in a suave voice.

_Oh, please._ Rukia wanted to puke. She'd doubt he'd ever _taken_ Chemistry, much less passed it.

"So, are you free tonight?" another one whispered seductively.

"No can do, _the_ Ichigo's reserved tonight until further notice, ladies," he said.

The 'ladies' groaned in unison.

"But _why?_"

_THE Ichigo?_

_Spare me._

…

"Tatsuki, there you are, my lovely friend! I need you to come with me to help pick up groceries for my brother—! No, don't pretend you don't know me, you bitch! Come back here—!"

-**oOo**-

"So, does Byakuya know about the whole kissy thing?"

"Well, no, duh? If he did, I'd probably be in some torture chamber, hanging upside-down above crocodile waters by now!"

"It was a simple 'yes or no' question, freak!"

"Well, I was just stating facts!"

Tatsuki scoffed as they went past the check-outs. "Sometimes I wonder why I stay friends with you."

"Don't worry, I think of the exact same thing when I look at _you_," she shot back.

"Whatever. So do you need carrying these home or not?"

"No," said Rukia, taking the grocery bag from Tatsuki. "Thanks, but it's really not that heavy. And you have Karate practice in ten, remember?"

"Oh, _shit_, yeah!" Tatsuki glared at her wristwatch. She started sprinting towards the other end of the street. She yelled back at Rukia. "I gotta go! Mom will never live it down if I miss another session!"

"Alright, see you tomorrow!" she waved with her free hand.

"IM me!"

"Okay!"

Rukia smiled. She didn't really think Tatsuki was a bitch.

She just enjoyed pissing her off way too much.

…

Nah, she loved her, really.

(_In a sisterly way, of course, you perv!_)

* * *

"_Batter up!_"

Rukia was about five minutes away from her street when a yell stopped her in her tracks. Apparently, there was a Junior League baseball game at a usually-empty field a couple of blocks from her house.

Out of curiosity, she paused to watch behind the rusted, crisscrossing, wire fencing.

It was a girls versus girls game, she noticed. _That's cute. _The bleachers were occasionally dotted here and there by family and fans.

Rukia looked at the scoreboard at the other end of the field. It was the six and last inning (since Junior League games only lasted six innings). The score was a close tie and the home team was the one batting.

Only the first base was occupied. The rest were empty as the pitcher stood up straight, ball inside her glove and hand. The batter was crouched defensively on the home base, gripping the bat as if it were her life.

She could practically smell the tension in the air.

The pitcher then raised her knee to her chest and swung out at full force to deliver a perfectly treacherous right-handed curve ball. It was too fast that she'd miss it if she blinked. The pitcher was _good_.

_Strike!_

The batter swung and Rukia could see that her swing was off by a couple of inches above the ball's trajectory.

"Strike one!" the umpire announced. There was a mixture of cheers and groans from the spectators.

"C'MON, KARIN! YOU CAN FRIGGIN' DO IT! IT'S JUST ONE MORE RUN, DAMN IT!" someone shouted from the bleachers.

"I KNOW! JUST SHUT UP AND WATCH!" the batter spat back at the man with equal malice.

Rukia sweatdropped.

Wait—

That voice.

Could it be?

She quickly skimmed the crowd and, yes, she spotted a single carrot-top who was standing on the benches, looking ready to pounce at an imaginary predator. For the first time, she saw that there was a scowl on his face and his lips were set at a rather grim line.

The embroidery on the back of the batter's uniform read "KUROSAKI" and below it said "Karakura Superheroes".

It sunk it.

_This is why you didn't go out with your fan club tonight, Ichigo? _Rukia asked the guy in her head. _You had to go to a Junior League game to watch your little sister play?_

…

_I never expected that from you._

_That's… kinda sweet._

_In an unorthodox and very older-brotherly way._

Rukia tore her gaze from Ichigo as she watched the pitcher wind up before throwing another curve ball at Karin.

She swung at just the right time, but—

_It's too low!_

"Strike two!"

"DAMN IT, KARIN! IF YOU LOSE THIS GAME, YOU'RE GONNA CLEAN MY ROOM FOR A WEEK!" Ichigo screamed, causing a few of the audience to edge away from him.

_That's a very good encouragement, Ichigo Kurosaki._

The crowed remained quiet as opposed to the last strike-out since the orange-headed boy and the batter were making up for much of the noise.

Winding up again, the pitcher veered her elbow back and released one of her curve balls again, but it looked a lot easier than the previous ones. She must've been losing energy.

Karin swung her bat while screeching one last sentence.

"SCREW YOU, ICHIGOOOO!"

_Perfect!_

_THWACK!_

It was a beautiful homerun. Karin dashed across the bases like mad, dust trailing behind her as the fielders and short stop desperately scrambled after the ball. It zipped away at the speed of light and flew several feet about Rukia's head.

And that was when Ichigo saw her.

Rukia blinked.

_Great._

* * *

"Are you following me or something?"

Rukia was taken aback. "Do you have a case of _narcissism?_"

They were standing at the outskirts of the field just next to the exit gates. Ichigo was waiting for her little sister to finish packing up her equipment.

"No, but I think you're obsessive," he said smoothly, grabbing Karin's duffel bag from the grass and hoisting it up his shoulders.

_Obsessive?_

_Can YOU even SPELL that word without AutoCorrect?_

She narrowed her eyes gravely. Rukia had second thoughts of dumping her groceries on his head, but that would just be a waste of _her_ money. "Oh, you don't know half of who I actually am, Kurosaki."

"Oh, and what a _very_ small half that is considering you're tiny as a whole—"

"Why you idiotic, self-centered, good-for-nothing asshole—"

Karin jogged towards Ichigo after saying goodbye to the team. "Who's _she?_" She looked at Rukia as if she had offended her being in some unforgivable way.

The older woman grinned. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki, your brother's, uh, classmate," she introduced her self with sickly sweetness. "And I can see where you get your sarcasm from. You two obviously get along _so_ well."

"Oh, ha ha ha," Ichigo faked a sarcastic laugh. "Shortcake."

"Carrot-head."

Rukia took a bottle of unopened Tropicana from her grocery bag and handed it to Karin. "Here, you look thirsty."

The younger Kurosaki looked hesitant, but took the drink. "Thanks."

Ichigo looked surprised at the gesture. "You didn't have to do that," he told her as he ruffled Karin's black hair.

"I wanted to. She's a really good baseball player." It was a sincere compliment.

The guy looked doubtful. "You play baseball?"

"Play_ed_," she corrected him as they made their way towards the side street with Karin.

"Where and when?"

Rukia rolled her purple eyes. "I've been playing in the school team till we were in the sixth grade, Ichigo."

Ichigo raised and eyebrow at her. "I've been to all of those games. How come I've never seen you before?" he asked her as they stopped at a corner. Someone was going to pick the siblings up, obviously.

"Well, you're always too busy with your women to ever notice anything," she pointed out.

The carrot-top leered. "Sure. Whatever."

* * *

Isshin Kurosaki laughed his maniacal laugh. ("MWAHAHAHA!") "So, son, how long have you two been together? No need to be shy! After all, it's about you make me some grandchildren I can give piggyback rides to—!"

Ichigo's foot came from the passenger's seat and slammed his father's head on the driver side window, misting the air with blood. "Screw you and your horny old mind, old man!" he yelled as she resumed his former position on the car seat.

Rukia's face was nothing short of a little disgusted, if the family wasn't so damn amusing.

But then she started to get worried when there was bloodshed.

Karin seemed to notice. "Don't worry, they're always like that," she said from behind her, looking out the window, her short black hair grazing her cheeks. "House, car, park, mall, anywhere."

Rukia nodded undecidedly and studied the bickering father and son, thankful that they were under a stoplight that glowed red. Or else all of them might end up in the E.R.

How did she end up here anyway?

Oh, well, the very nice, albeit very weird, Dr. Isshin Kurosaki insisted that they give her a lift home no matter how hard she tried to explain that her brother would probably have a bitch fit if he saw that a guy drove into their street with her in his car.

Not to mention her house was just a few minutes' worth of walking away.

He eventually agreed that they could just drop her off at the corner of her street just in case.

Ichigo was reluctant and was eager to go home, but couldn't do a thing about it, so he was now sulking like a preschooler on the passenger side.

So there.

_Wow_.

"—Oh, Masaki, what have I done wrong?" Dr. Isshin feigned hurt and clutched his chest. "Why is it that our son has still failed to conceive a grandchild his father wants so badly? Does he have trouble finding the right girl to take home—?"

_Oh, you have no idea_,_ Dr. Kurosaki_.

Ichigo let out a battle cry and silenced his father, this time with a bone-breaking uppercut.

Rukia winced. _That must've hurt. A lot._

The Kurosakis were a bunch of eccentric, though very nice, people. Rukia didn't know why it was so hard to believe that this was the family where someone as egotistical, as shallow, as narcissistic as Ichigo Kurosaki was born into.

It just didn't fit. This wasn't the Ichigo Kurosaki she got to know in school. Not the self-crowned Prince of All Things Tangerine. Not the Ladies' Man Ichigo that the girls at school fawned over.

_Odd._

She sighed inwardly when the stoplight flashed green.

"—Why, oh why—?"

"Shut up and drive, old man!"

There was a sound of bone crushing bone. And Ichigo's face was flattened against the windshield with his father's foot.

_Ouch._

She was thankful Isshin was a doctor.

-**oOo**-

**Username**: ChappyFreak88  
**Password**: headoverfeet

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2. ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_) – "Argh. My back is KILLING me."  
3. keigo_asano_4ever (_Asano, Keigo_) – "Sellin' a PSP. IM me if ur interested."  
4. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Hmmmm…?"  
5. TheQuincyHeir (_Ishida, Uryu_) – "Busy. Studying."  
6. ChickMagnet2002 (_Kojima, Mizuiro_) – "Having the time of my life."  
7. amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_) – "…"

* * *

**ur_worst_nightmare**: So… what's up?

**ChappyFreak88**: Nah. Just watched a baseball game at the park. `Twas fun.

**ChappyFreak88**: How was practice?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I felt like my coach wants me to die a slow and painful death.

**ChappyFreak88**: Awwwww. Poor you. What a loser, lol.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Freak!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Can't you IM me just to ask how I'm fucking doing?!

**ChappyFreak88**: Okay… How are you fucking doing today, Tatsuki-chan?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I'm doing great! Just peachy!

**ChappyFreak88**: Happy now, bitch?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Wow, you really _are_ freak.

**ChappyFreak88**: Heh. Your cooties rub off on me.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You still owe me that kiss story.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Don't act like you're getting away with it unharmed.

**ChappyFreak88**: Oh, would you look at the time! And I've got Biology hw to do!

**ChappyFreak88**: See you tomorrow. Tata!

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-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: So, was it still okay-ish? Or was it as boring as I thought it was? O.o

(EDITED: Can I hear sixty (60) reviews, people? ;) C'mon!)


	6. CHAPTER 5: What the Hell!

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach.

**Author's Note**: So yeah, while my friends are completely trashing my dorm, I suddenly had the inspiration to update. Not much Ichi/Ruki in his chapter, but Rukia's going to have some revelations and enlightenment here. It's kind of important, well, to me anyway.

-**oOo**-

_Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer.  
Do you know you're unlike any other?  
You'll always be my thunder,  
And I said,  
Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors.  
I don't wanna ever love another.  
You'll always be my thunder,  
So bring on the rain,  
And bring on the thunder._

- Thunder, Boys Like Girls

-**oOo**-

"Hey, there, pussycat."

A junior girl, along with two of her friends, walked past Renji, looking at him as if he were some smelly thing she just stepped on.

Ichigo grinned and shook his orange head.

Renji looked at him defensively. "What?"

"Well, for one thing," he told his red-haired friend as he closed his locker door. "A woman won't really appreciate it if you call her 'pussycat,' idiot. And you come on too strong."

"Are you saying I'm losing my touch?" Renji asked him, his eyes glinted maliciously.

"What _touch?_ I'm just saying you should let the ladies come to you," he said, winking at a cute sophomore girl who was giving him a 'look'. She giggled and blushed. "See?"

"Whatever." Renji leaned casually on the row of steel lockers.

…

Ichigo then sighed that _sigh_ again, his eyes unfocused.

Renji knew that it meant 'I still can't get my mind of this girl and I can't seem to find her since, well, I'm absolutely _clueless_ as to what she looks like or who the hell she is.'

"C'mon, man," Renji said in disbelief, sneering. "You can't still be seriously thinking about that Cinderella chick again."

The carrot-top gave a snort. "You really are a Disney fan," he mocked. "And stop calling her that, you ass."

"But what a sexy ass the Renji-meister is," he added, eyeing another sophomore girl in a really tight uniform. "Ooh. Me likey what I see."

Ichigo sighed again. He had being doing that a lot lately.

"Look, if you're so… _determined_ with the girl, why don't try looking for her? I mean, this school isn't really big—"

"That's a great idea, Einstein," Ichigo snapped, pretending to look impressed. "But well, I don't know her _name_, what _grade_ she's in, what she _looks_ like—Nothing!"

"Not even, like, an _alias_ or something?"

Ichigo chuckled. "Well, she did call me her, uhm…" He edged closer to Renji to whisper, "knight in shining armor."

"Wow. And you call _me_ a Disney fan, you fag."

The orange-topped guy flipped him off.

"And, lemme guess," Renji faked a knowing and bothersome expression. "She's your, what, damsel-in-distress?"

Ichigo gave him a 'look'.

"Oh, that's just the _lamest_ thing I've ever heard from you yet," Renji choked between laughs, grabbing on the lockers for support. "What, is the hair dye getting to your head?"

"Said the man with _pink_ hair," Ichigo hissed between his teeth.

"It's not pink; it's fucking red, genius!"

The other rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"Fag."

"Dickhead."

…

Renji creased his eyebrows in thinking. He then suddenly grabbed Ichigo's arm.

"Dude, I think I have the perfect plan."

"Oh, wow, you _actually_ thought of something for once!" said Ichigo sardonically.

The redhead let go of him. "Look, do you wanna see that Cinderella girl again?"

"Yes, I think we've already established that."

"Then shut the hell up and listen."

* * *

Seven minutes and one whispered idea later…

Ichigo was unconvinced. "You sure that'll work?" he asked.

Renji's grin was like a Cheshire cat's. "Positive."

-**oOo**-

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_), Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_), amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 17 at 10:55:02  
**Subject**: BORED. B-O-R-E-D. So effing boreddd.

So yeah, I'm, uhm, in Asian Lit right now.

And I don't know what the hell Ms. Unohana's writing on the board `cause a really tall _person_ (Is he even considered human? Oh, no offense, Chad) is purposely blocking my supposed perfect view.

ARGH. This is boring.

Where are you guys anyway?

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: September 17 at 10:57:39  
**Subject**: Re: BORED. B-O-R-E-D. So fucking boreddd.

I'm in World History.

You're better by far, freak. At least the guy sitting in front of you isn't farting every ten minutes.

Ugh. I think I just smelled last Tuesday's burrito.

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

**

**  
To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_)  
**Sent**: September 17 at 11:00:46  
**Subject**: …

French class.

Adios,  
Chad

**

* * *

**

_  
_**I'm right beside beside you, silly. You could've just passed me a note. I'm bored, too. Getting a little sleepy, hahaha. – Orihime :)**

_Ugh. Well, I'm getting hungry. Hey, can I borrow your notes later?_

**Sure. Uhm, why don't you try asking him to move a little so you can see?**

_Oh, wow. I haven't tried THAT before._

**You want me to ask him?**

_Oh, trust me. You don't wanna do that._

**Uhm, pardon me for asking, but Rukia, are you… _interested?_**

Rukia crumpled the paper and threw it on the carrot-top's head.

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER FOUR  
**_What The Hell?!_

-**oOo**-

Tatsuki was hyper again.

"C'mon, you freak! It'll just be this one time!" she was whispering excitedly as they looked for an unoccupied cafeteria table. "There's this really awesome horror flick that's showing on—"

"No, I will _not_ cut classes, you bitch," she interjected, sitting down. Orihime and Chad were still standing at the lunch line.

Tatsuki pointed a condemning finger at her face. "You're a nerd!"

"No, I'm not!" Rukia retorted while sipping her boxed juice. "I wanna get into Harvard and I don't think skipping classes will help me with that."

"Drip!"

"Well, at least I'm not a bitch!"

Orihime disrupted the otherwise potential food fight. "I love Fridays!" she squealed as she took her seat beside Rukia. "Their fish sticks are _so_ good."

"…" said Chad.

Rukia sulked and wedged said fish stick through her fork, contemplating on Tatsuki's plans. If she were to cut classes… Well, there was a rumored pop quiz in Chemistry and a canvas she still had to pass in Visual Arts.

So yeah, it was a no.

"Oh, have you seen these?" Orihime said enthusiastically as she pulled out a business card-sized paper from her breast (_Ahem._) pocket.

Tatsuki snatched it. "What is _this_?" she said, confused, before digging into her plate of spaghetti.

"Lemme see," Rukia took the card between her fingers. The message was printed on designed and scented parchment paper. And she almost choked on her juice when she read what was written in elegant cursive font:

_My damsel-in-distress,_

_So long your voice has haunted me,  
Your smile, your air, it drives me mad.  
Oh, grant me one more chance with thee,  
Just like the last moment we had._

_- Your knight in shining armor_

Rukia felt a vein pop somewhere.

_Oh._

_My._

_Kami._

…

He wanted to see her again?

_What the—_

_Who was this guy anyway?!_

"W-Where did you get this?" she asked Orihime, blood completely draining her face.

The other woman shrugged. "Those are all over the school grounds this morning," she said through a full mouth. "Someone must've scattered it everywhere last night."

_WHAT?!_

Rukia flipped the card around with a shaking hand.

_P.S._

_Meet me at the next new moon,  
Same place, same time, my dear.  
I look forward to seeing you soon.  
Yes, I'll be waiting; have no fear._

"What kind of a loser alias is that?" Tatsuki said, looking disgusted.

"Beats me." Rukia pretended like she was oblivious and played with her food.

Of course, not a single friend of hers knew about the 'knight in shining tuxedo' thing. Not even Tatsuki.

_I wonder who he is…_ she thought, not really knowing what she should feel. This mystery guy _was_ her first kiss after all. (Who wouldn't be nervous?) But no, she didn't, uhm, love him. Well, not yet anyway. (So there was a possibility that she could?)

Rukia was hoping to the high heavens he would contact her one of these days, but certainly not this way! The whole school didn't have to know!

"—Why can't he just walk up to the girl and confess! That's just chicken shit—"

Actually, the whole school _didn't_ really know. It was a pretty ingenious plan.

The only problem lied on how sure was she that she was the damsel-in-distress this 'knight in shining armor' was talking about? What if there was another couple who played fairytale at last Friday's dance and made out by the fountain under a clear night sky?

Oh, the images that thought produced…

_Now is not the time for daydreaming, Rukia Kuchiki!_

Well, there wasn't anyone there except the two of them. If Rukia were to make a mistake and be at the school courtyard on 'the next new moon,' no one would know. And if she was right about the assumption that this poem was, in fact, written for her, then that would be just awesome!

"When's the next new moon anyway?" she said to Orihime who had just finished her meal.

The redhead took out her Blackberry and most probably checked out her built-in date book. "Two weeks from now," she answered.

_Two weeks?_

Rukia's shoulders sagged.

_That gave her all the time in the world._

-**oOo**-

"I _told_ you it was a frikkin' Metaphase, Shortcake."

Rukia's left eye twitched. "I have a feeling you'll never live this down," she snapped, crumpling the already-checked activity. "Okay fine, it was a Metaphase! The next time, you do the work by yourself, then!"

"You women always overreact," said Ichigo, amused, scribbling on a piece of scratch pad with Rukia's Chappy pen.

"No, we don't. You guys are simply too insensitive." _Ha! Suck on that!_

"Heh, whatever."

Kurotsuchi was pacing up front, calling on random students to debase and asking them what they knew about the 'glumelural cycle.'

Ichigo snorted. "Hell, I can't even pronounce that."

"Me too." For the first time in history, they agreed on something. _Wow._

Rukia suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

…

"So… How's your sister doing? And your Dad?" she asked quietly.

The carrot-top looked surprised. "She's doing fine," he replied as he drew something _she_ couldn't see on the paper. "And Dad's, well, still like Dad. God, I wonder when that old man will _actually_ grow up."

Rukia smiled good-naturedly. She may be unwilling to admit it, but, in between the habitual squabbles they had, Ichigo Kurosaki was an _okay_ guy. Especially after she met his family. Too bad he still had to go with the whole 'I'm the self-proclaimed prince of KPHS and I'm the only one who can make this uniform look _good_' routine.

"…Nice try, Mr. Asano, but the glumelural cycle is not at all related to the reproductive system…"

And he actually did look _kind of_ cute when he went out of his (and his fan girls') way just to watch his little sister's baseball game.

She froze.

_Cute?_

No, no, no!

Did she just say Ichigo Kurosaki was _cute_?!

No. Anything soft, fluffy, and huggable was cute—like teddy bears, puppies, and Chappy the Rabbit. Not tall, spiky and orange things… Those would probably fall under obnoxious. Or just plain weird—

"How about you, Miss Kuchiki?" Kurotsuchi turned his eerie and very disturbing gaze towards her. "Does the glumelural cycle mean anything to you?"

Rukia cleared out her throat. "Uhm, sir—"

As if right on cue, the bell rang. There was an explosion of paper in the air coming from the students.

_Whew! Saved by the bell. Literally._

Wordlessly, the Orange Prince got up and, hands behind his head, went out of the classroom, leaving behind Rukia's Chappy pen on the desk.

Yawning, she quickly grabbed it and was about to shove it into her bag when the sheet of scratch paper Ichigo was doodling on caught her attention.

There were a couple of sketches from anime she recognized from Cartoon Network, tic-tac-toe (_Who the hell plays that game by himself?_), some random scribbles here and there, and a very elaborately decorated name on the bottom corner of the paper.

Rukia frowned with curiosity.

**_C_**i_n_**d**_er**e**l_l_a_

Since when was Ichigo Kurosaki fond of fairytale princesses anyway? Since the whole 'Hua Mulan incident', Rukia thought otherwise.

She shrugged and pocketed the paper.

_I can put this up on eBay_, she thought, smiling.

Deep inside, Rukia knew better.

-**oOo**-

She had always taken pride in her masterpieces (Citation needed). That was why, instead of taking Drama again, which was always bound to get an A-plus in, as her Specialization Class this year, she opted to take Visual Arts.

Not that her drawings were something one would probably see at the Louvre Museum, but, well, this class was all about _self-expression_, right?

And yes, that was what Rukia Kuchiki was going to do here.

And what better subject to totally tweak than… Chappy the Rabbit!

_Yey!_

Visual Arts was held in a specially designed classroom that was devoid of the regular school desks, which were replaced with stools and easels and the smell of oil paint and thinner. The walls were plastered with student-made artworks over the years and it was her goal to make it to this Hall of Shame, uhm, _Fame_.

(_She even saw one of her brother's plates. Ugh._)

Love Aikawa, that Afro professor with a star for a head, was weaving around the students, occasionally giving criticisms and praises to those who deserve it. Of course, she knew what to expect the moment he stepped behind her and watched her curiously.

…

"Miss Kuchiki," he began, taking a peek over her shoulder. "You're related to Mr. Byakuya Kuchiki of class `01, right?"

_Why, you wanna catch a date?_ "Yes, sir. He's my older brother."

She drew in Chappy's ears with black paint and was pleased with it.

Aikawa cleared out his throat. "He's an exceptional calligrapher, the best in my class," he told her, fiddling with his sunglasses. "Are you quite sure you're related to him?"

_Isn't it frikkin' obvious, star-head? Me and Byakuya have, like, the same hair and skin color!_

"Yes, sir. I'm very sure." A vein on her forehead twitched.

Shrugging, Aikawa shuffled to the easel to her right. "Oh, well, not everyone was born to be an artist anyway…" he mumbled.

_WHAT?!_

_Oh, come to think of it, I should give you my brother's number. Then you two can compare shampoos and fight over whose fur's better!_

"Don't mind him," the petite girl beside Rukia said with a giggle. "He may be a professor, but he just doesn't understand that art is a form of… self-expression, not good impression."

_Exactly, my point!_

Rukia turned around in her seat. Momo Hinamori was soft-spoken girl and a _very_ gifted artist, at the top of their class. She was petite like _her_, but kept her black hair in a ponytail behind her head.

"—Ah, yes, that's beautiful, Mr. Ichimaru! Keep it up—!"

Rukia's purple eyes rounded when she noticed that Momo was doing a very, very good remake of a Monet piece with a very graceful wrist.

The other girl felt a tinge of envy and admiration.

…

_Now, why can't I draw like that?_

"I think Chappy's cute," said Momo sincerely, smiling and looking at Rukia's canvas.

Rukia blushed pink. "Wow, uhm… Thanks."

Momo studied her plate. "But I don't think you should use thick outlines that much. Mr. Aikawa's an impressionist and doesn't really like outlines. Oh, and it needs—" She reached out with a brush and dabbed Chappy's black nose with white paint, creating a highlight. "—that."

Her work instantly looked tons better.

"You're amazing. Thanks, Momo," Rukia said, impressed. "Your painting's awesome. As always."

Momo giggled. "Oh, thanks, but it's not really all that—"

"What did I say? Concentrate on your plates, _young artists_! Do not make small talk with people who do not merit the same title! Their stale paint will permanently stain your beautiful canvases—!"

The brush in between Rukia's fingers snapped into two.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously.

_Stale paint?_

_Go to hell, flower-head!_

Yes, she was definitely giving this guy her brother's number.

-**oOo**-

September 24  
In my room, on my bed  
All alone (Can't sleep. It's, like, one in the effing morning.)

Dear Journal,

You know how I can always tell you stuff I'd never, ever tell anyone (not even that bitch) about, right? Well, now's the best time as any. There're two things I'd like you to know.

A few days ago, _my_ KSA (knight in shining armor) apparently wrote me a poem for the whole school to see. Not that they know about the whole thing between us, but, well, his note was all over the campus and somehow made its way to me.

He wants to see me again, so I was, like, SQUEEEAL!

KSA said to meet him at the same fountain, at the same time, at the next new moon (which is, like, next week).

This is so awesome. I really wanna know who the hell he is, `cause I can't stop thinking about him. The only thing I'm worried about is… what if he finds out I'm this completely freaky, invisible girl in school and completely changes his mind?

I think I'd rather keep the anonymity thing and just be his DID (damsel-in-distress), but I know I can't keep that up forever. So, yeah.

Help meee.

So, uhm.

The other thing I wanted to write about is something top-secret and totally confidential. I'd rather hang myself by my neck than tell someone I know about this.

…

Well, you know Ichigo Kurosaki, right? Tall, orange-haired guy, who walks with his head so high in the air, his nose is literally scraping the ceiling?

Yeah, _that_ guy.

I know I wrote in one of my previous entries that he's the guy, I quote, "I'd rather not lay eyes on."

Well, that's the problem. See, we're lab partners for Biology and I honestly _can't_ take my eyes off him.

So there.

…?!

I know what you're thinking! "Rukia Kuchiki, heiress to the _noble_ Kuchiki clan, has a crush on the Ladies' Man, the Prince of Carrots, the Ichigo Kurosaki! Oh, the world is coming to an end!"

Well… I don't know. Maybe he just looks way too much like Kaien. Or maybe it's `cause he actually turned down a date with his fan girls just to take his little sister to a baseball game. Or maybe his weird-ish hair color is kind of turning me on. Or maybe the way he always picks on me is kind of… _sexy_ than annoying.

There, I said it.

No one must know about his. This is between you and me, my inanimate, two-dollar secret keeper.

…

Bottom-line is: Ichigo Kurosaki is a good-looking guy and things like these just can't be helped. I should know that, HELLO, since I've been in the same school as that idiot since, like, first grade.

Right?

_RIGHT?!_

…

I need a therapist ASAP. Or a straight jacket.

Your beautiful and eye-crossed master,  
Rukia

-**oOo**-

**To**: littlemisslezz (_Honcho, Chizuru_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: September 30 at 09:01:36  
**Subject**: Hey!

I, uhm, need the shoes for an... upcoming special occasion. I'll give it back as soon as it's over. Sorry for the wait, I'll get Orihime on a leash on or before Finals.

Thanks!

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

**

**Username**: ur_worst_nightmare  
**Password**: IMTHEKARATEKID

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3. flyingplumtree (_Hinamori, Momo_) – "Hi! :D"  
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**ur_worst_nightmare**: Freak!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Hey!

_DING!_

_DING!_

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Where _are_ you?!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: It's 10pm and you're almost always Googling stuff at this time. It's like one of your freaky rules.

_DING!_

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Whatever. Just IM me the answer to number 16 on the Chemistry hw when you get back from wherever hellhole you're in.

* * *

So much for two weeks.

More like, two days. Or two minutes.

And Rukia Kuchiki was frantic. Ish.

It was the first of October and yes, it was the perfect, moon-deprived night she had been waiting (fearing) for.

She looked at the mirror for the umpteenth time.

…

Rukia decided after much debate to wear the exact same outfit she sported at the dance. She figured it would add to the whole 'anonymous princess' thing she had going on and not to mention she was just too plain sluggish to think of something else to wear.

And she was damned if she went in her uniform.

Sitting at the edge of her messy bed, she secured the white mask on her purple eyes and looked at digital clock on her nightstand.

_22:25_.

Five more frikkin' minutes. She was kind of getting restless.

KSA (_Stop using that stupid alias, damnit!_) said to meet at the same place at the same time, which was at the courtyard fountain, at eleven in the evening respectively.

_Breathe, Rukia. Effing breathe._

All was going smoothly, except, well, for the fact that Byakuya was still downstairs, sitting in his home office, typing his butt off probably till early morning.

And that was the problem.

For her to get the hell out this stupid house and meet with her mystery man, she'd have to tiptoe out the front door unnoticed, but since Byakuya's office was conveniently located perpendicular to the hallway leading to said door, sneaking out was definitely out of question.

Byakuya has unparalleled senses, too. Whenever he was within a ten-mile radius of her, a little dot on his Little Sister Radar would start blinking if she did something that was out of her normal daily routine.

_I swear that guy has some sort of ESP or something._

So yeah, Rukia needed to think of a better plan.

She looked around her room for any inspiration.

…

…

…

The window.

…

Her room was on the second floor.

…

She grabbed her comforter from her bed, walked towards her balcony, and peered down the railings to the green grass of the lawn below, looking determined.

_This guy had better be worth it._

-**oOo**-

_22:53__._

As soundlessly as possible, Rukia propped her bike (since taking her brother's car while he was home was nothing short of suicide) against one of the nearby benches and started walking to the middle of the school square.

She didn't really know what to feel – scared, excited? Maybe, anxious?

This guy looked to be a very nice boy, that much she knew. He was every bit like a gentleman unlike most of the other guys who went to this stuck-up snob-fest of a school, but she was still worried.

_What if he doesn't like me when he finds out who I really am? What if he turns out to be someone as pig-headed as Renji Abarai or as… physically challenged as Ganju Shiba? Or what if I don't like him when I find out who he is? What if I gave my first kiss to someone who doesn't deserve it?_

_Oh, his kiss… Those lips…_

Rukia wrapped her arms around her body, regretting that she left her jacket. It was still the middle of fall and the icy air was cutting through her skin like knives. The slight breeze didn't help at all.

When the fountain, which was shut off tonight, came into view, she felt her stomach sinking when she realized no one was there, except for a couple of squirrels and a Blue Jay bird.

Rukia raised an eyebrow.

Well, she was still around five or so minutes early. Maybe _he_ had a knack of coming _exactly_ on time.

But… what if he jilted her?

Now _that_ would be a different case and she would mercilessly hunt him down to the ends of the earth, personally dig him a very, very deep grave, and bury him alive if he ditched her—

Rukia felt like she was electrocuted and jumped.

The fountain came to life. And the lampposts lit up.

_What the—_

Footsteps echoed behind her.

And then she turned around.

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: Cliffhanger! Sorry! Don't kill me! I know, nothing interesting has happened, YET. I'm already working on the next chapter, and I'll make sure it's worth the wait. I know this is kind of slow, but I don't wanna rush things. ;)


	7. CHAPTER 6: OMG, Definition of

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach!

**Author's Note**: I just came back from dance rehearsals and, well, to put it frankly, I'm in a lot of pain. ARGH. The only part of my body I can move are my fingers, so I decided to update! (Just imagine how stupid I look.)

**Another Note**: The song I used in this chapter is Michael Learns to Rock's _Nothing to Lose_. I have this fad for the kind of stuff my parents listen to, so yeah. It's a nice song. You might want to download it in LimeWire and listen to it first before reading this so you can… enjoy the experience. ;)

-**oOo**-

_Her name is Noelle,  
__I have a dream about her.  
__She rings my bell!  
__I've got gym class in half an hour.  
__And oh, how she rocks  
__In Keds and tube socks.  
__But she doesn't know who I am,  
__And she doesn't give a damn about me.  
__`Cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby.  
__Yeah, I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby.  
__Listen to Iron Maiden maybe with me…_

- Teenage Dirtbag, Wheatus

-**oOo**-

THE PLAYBOY CONSTITUITION  
By _Renji Abarai _and** Ichigo Kurosaki**

Article 1. Commitments will only hinder one from the sole objective of men like us, which is to make the ladies worship the ground we walk on. Do not commit to a single female unless necessary. (_Necessary_: e.g. Circumstances wherein one needs help with homework, when one needs a date for a dance, or when the chick is too hot to waste, etc.)

**Doesn't that make us assholes?  
**_Why?  
_**Because that sounds like we're using them for personal benefits, you dick.  
**_Isn't that the point? It's their problem that they want us so bad.  
_**I can never talk some sense into you, you know that?  
**_Whatever.  
_**Fag.**

Article 2. Always respect women, young or… younger. Always take into consideration their needs and wants (except when what they want is us). No matter how much they throw themselves at us, always remain cool and composed. Our offhand demeanor is what sets us above the _others_ of our kind and is what makes the ladies run after us.

**Young or younger?  
**_Hey, there're some exceptions to the age limit rule, strawberry.  
_**Like who?  
**_What about Ms. Unohana?  
_**She's a professor, idiot.  
**_Exactly._

Article 3. Never let oneself feel anything other than, like and lust. Love is a complicated emotion that only stupid men are willing to feel. It can lead to commitment (which is against the first article), and commitment can lead to marriage (which is also against Article 1.)

**What if it can't be helped?  
**_Then help yourself! Never waste your time on a girl when there're tons of 'em around!  
_**That's just stupid.  
**_What's wrong with you? The Constitution = The Golden Rule.  
_**Dude, the Golden Rule is to tell the truth.  
**_Then it can be, like, the Silver Rule.  
_**The Silver Rule?  
**_Shut up._

Article 4. When in bed, clearly explain to partner that there are strictly no strings attached before and after the "activities." Be sure to use protection and just enjoy the moment while it lasts. We do not want random women walking up to us, asking for child support.

**This one only applies to you!  
**_Huh?  
_**You know. I'm still… a virgin.  
**_What?! You've gotta be kidding me.  
_**…  
**_(insert annoying laughter here)  
_**Idiot.**

Article 5. If one expresses verbal defiance or does a course of action that is against the aforementioned articles, he shall be dutifully punished depending on the gravity of the crime committed.

**And the punishments are?  
**_Like I'll make you walk naked to school.  
_**Hell, no. I ain't doing that, man.  
**_Then take the constitution to heart.  
_**Good luck with that.  
**_Yeah, you're gonna need it._

-**oOo**-

Ichigo felt like the wind was knocked out of him.

He had a lot of women. Heck, he practically lost count. (And that was not exaggeration.) But not one of them took his breath away quite like her.

She was _stunning_, to say the least.

And he was grateful he wore his mask and tuxedo tonight or else he would've looked shabby in comparison to this woman.

_Damn. Renji would be laughing his head off if he could see me right now._

She looked just as he remembered her that night they first met – white, knee-length tube dress, white mask, dark hair, pale skin, smoky eyes, and an overall aura that threatened to undo every single thing he held on to.

_Guess I'll have to set that stupid constitution aside for now, Renji._

It was almost pitch-black on the school grounds. Ichigo was leaning onto one of the unlit light posts across the courtyard when he saw her standing a few feet away from the fountain, her silky dress almost luminescent in the dark.

His jaw dropped.

Ichigo grinned behind his mask when he noted the expression of disappointment when she saw that he was nowhere to be found.

With a silent 'thank you' to one of the school janitors that graciously helped him with his little scheme, he bent down and reached for a secret circuit breaker under one of the bushes around him.

_Time for the waterworks._

_And the light show._

Ichigo crossed his fingers.

…

He flicked on the switch.

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER SIX  
**_OMG, Definition of_

-**oOo**-

Rukia turned around.

And sure enough, there he was, dressed in the same deadly, clean-cut tuxedo, hands in his pockets. They apparently thought alike since the guy was still hiding behind that creepy white mask of his.

But, no, she was anything _but_ scared tonight.

Butterflies started fluttering happily in her stomach.

_WHOA._

Talk about taking her breath away. Literally.

_Screw this guy!_

"You scared me!" she blurted out ungracefully.

KSA chuckled and took a step closer. "'Surprised' was what I expected, but that was generally the plan."

"Congratulations, then," Rukia said, smiling. It amazed her how she was so comfortable with a man she barely knew. "So…"

Wordlessly, he told her to take a seat with him on the same oh-so-memorable bench. Rukia obliged with a shudder. It was getting colder by the minute. _Damn that Byakuya! If he wasn't so distracting I would've remembered bringing my sweater along—!_

"Oh, hold on." He slipped off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. "You're shaking."

Rukia felt her breath getting caught in her throat at the simple yet sweet gesture. _Now that's what you call a gentleman. Take that, Ichigo Kurosaki!_

"Uh… Thanks," she said. His jacket fit her poorly but it was cozy (_Oh, wow, wow, WOW_). Rukia found herself thinking if he was still warm like she remembered him to be.

_LE SQUEAL!_

…

The guy decided to break the ice. "So… What've you been up to lately?"

"Uhm… well, I've been doing a lot of thinking for the past few weeks," Rukia answered, fiddling the hem of her (Orihime's) dress.

"Oh." He reclined on the bench coolly. "Why's that?"

_Because for one thing, I'm having some sort of freaky relationship with a guy who I don't even know and, well, did I mention that we kissed? And that I really like him? And that I'm just dying to know who he really is? And that I'm talking to him right now?_

"Uhm, school's getting kinda hectic," she lied (since there was no way she's admit that almost everything she seemed to think about was him). "You know, college apps and all that shit."

…

_WTF?!_

Rukia clamped a hand on her mouth. She did _not_ just say that obscenity in front of a guy. No! No! No! That was, like, a big HELL NO when dating. No effing swearing! Now he'd probably think she's this girl who doesn't have any class at all—

KSA laughed, much to her surprise. "It's okay. I don't really mind."

Rukia could _sense_ a smile behind his mask. "Really?" she said, relieved. _Byakuya will wring my neck if we just heard what I said._

"Yeah, no big. I like girls who speak their mind and just be themselves, rather than posers and fakers, you know what I mean?"

She smiled. That was the first time she ever heard a guy say those words.

"Thanks."

"It's okay."

…

Rukia then remembered. "Nice poem, by the way," she complimented him.

"Oh, _that_," he said with a small laugh. (_I really like the way he laughs. EEP!_) "I didn't really write all of that. A friend did it for me. I mean, I appreciate poetry, but I'm not gutsy enough to actually _write_."

"Really?" _He likes poetry. WOW._ "Me too, but you don't really look like the wordy type of guy."

"Well, you don't _really_ know what I look like, right?" he said.

She smiled again. "Well, I guess not."

"I was kind of worried that you wouldn't get the cards." He reclined on the bench.

"Well, I _should_, considering that you scattered at least a hundred of them across school," she joked, grinning.

He laughed. "I know, right?"

The fountain splashed in the background.

…

Silence occupied them for the next moments before the guy stood up. Rukia immediately noticed how tall he was in comparison to her (_Nice one_). Beneath the dimmed lampposts and night sky, his hair color was still indistinguishable, but it was a light shade of… something. He was a blonde maybe? His built wasn't too muscular but had just the right amount of angles that a teenage boy should have. She blinked when he held out a hand to her.

"Huh?" Rukia said stupidly.

"C'mon, get up." He reached out to claps his fingers around hers. KSA then tugged at her in a very gentle way that all Rukia could do was comply.

She stood up slowly, not taking her eyes off his eyes behind the mask. Hell butterflies started fluttering inside her. "Where're we going?" she asked with a giggle.

_NO. WHY THE HELL AM I GIGGLING? RUKIA KUCHIKI DOES NOT GIGGLE—!_

"Right here," the guy said as he slipped out a Walkman phone from inside his coat and fiddled with it. Her hand missed his contact immediately.

"Uhm…"

_Great. You're, what, texting someone else while you're with me? That's just—_

"I just remembered," he began as he settled down his phone on the bench. "At the BTS dance, we didn't really dance, did we?"

Rukia blinked again. And she shook her head, his coat falling loosely from her shoulders.

He bowed and twirled his hand in a very, very old-fashioned way that sent chills through her body. "So… May I have this dance?"

As if right on cue, a song sounded softly from his phone. It began with the notes of a piano, in a tune that was familiar to her somehow. It made her think about when her parents used to go on long, afternoon drives during Sundays. She was four and Byakuya was nine…

_There are times  
__When you make me laugh.  
__There are moments  
__When you drive me mad…_

"Michael Learns to Rock?" Rukia asked him a little disbelievingly when she recognized the song.

KSA remained in his position. "I have a thing for nineties music," he explained to her.

_That's unusual._

_But very, very sweet._

"Well, in that case…" She took his hand, not caring at all that she didn't know who this guy was. There was probably another time for that. "You have excellent taste in music, sire."

_There are seconds  
__When I see the light,  
__Though many times  
__You've made me cry…_

He planted a small kiss on her hand (with his still mask on).

"Of course you may have this dance."

_Hell, I LOVE this song!_

Rukia tentatively placed her hand behind his neck (standing tiptoe as she did so), thankful that her brother gave her 'noble' dance lessons when she was younger. He responded by circling his strong arm around her waist and placing his chin on the top of her head. The guy then intertwined his other hand in hers in a tight and delicate grip.

_EEPGASPZOMG!_

The position was just so intimate that she fought back another giggle and (dare she say it) a blush.

_Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!_

She felt like she was on cloud nine.

The words 'Oh, my God' repeated in her head like a mantra.

_There's something  
__You don't understand.  
__I want to be your man…_

Like what couples did on slow songs, well, they didn't really dance, but rather, started swaying to the beat. She relaxed her tense shoulders and rested her cheek against his warm chest. Rukia caught a whiff of citrus-ish cologne mixed with… soap and grass. Maybe he was a football player of sorts?

_Nothing to lose,  
__Your love to win.  
__Hoping so bad  
__That you'll let me in…_

Rukia closed her eyes and tried to memorize every sound, every smell, every touch while it lasted.

She had to leave by midnight.

_"I'm at your feet, waiting for you_," he started singing quietly as they swayed, his voice low and soothing.

…

"_I've got time and nothing to lose._"

…

The guy pulled back slowly and stopped the MP3, his other hand still holding her considerable smaller one. All Rukia could do was stand there, gaping like an idiot, looking like a stunned prey.

KSA then looked at her behind his mask. There was nothing scary or maniacal in his gaze, but Rukia felt like she was being stripped naked. It was like he was trying to commit her to his memory.

_Why is it that you look so damn familiar to me—?_

She jumped in surprise when her phone vibrated against her side. Her alarm had gone off. It was midnight already.

Disappointment hit her in waves. It was too soon.

_Why does time fly by so fast when you're having the time of your life, damnit!_

Rukia looked up, trying to figure him out.

Who was he anyway? Did he know who she was? Who knew when they would see each other again? Would he recognize her if they passed by each other in the school hallways?

"I've got to go," she whispered to him, slipping her hand away from his. "My brother will kill me."

He nodded in understanding. "Is it okay if I see you again?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Contact me in any way you wish."

Chuckling, KSA pocketed his hands. "You can keep the coat till then, it's still cold."

"Oh, thanks," she said, fingering the black material on her back.

_My knight in shining armor…_

_Er, tuxedo._

…

"It's late. You want me to give you a ride home?"

"Do you want my brother to decapitate us both?"

He laughed. "Alright, take care," he reminded her.

They both just stood there, as if unwilling to leave.

…

An idea sprung up from the depths of her subconscious.

_I really should stop watching romance flicks with Orihime._

And that was when the lights and the fountain went out. The school's electricity power supply probably lasted just until twelve in the morning.

_YES! Thank you!_

It was pitch black when Rukia ran to him, slowly took off his mask, and pressed her lips against his.

The guy felt like he was surprised at first, but returned the gesture almost immediately. He wrapped his arms around her petite body and she hooked hers around his neck, forgetting about the time, her brother, and who the hell this guy was.

They moved in a rhythm much like of that when they first kissed, only this time it was filled with something else… Passion? Want?

…

Love, maybe?

She let out a mental scream.

…

They pulled back after what felt like an eternity.

Rukia was breathless, her heart fluttering wildly against her chest.

"Goodbye," he whispered in the dark.

"'Bye."

Hesitantly, she turned her back and ran back to where she parked her bike, silently praying she wouldn't trip over something she couldn't see.

-**oOo**-

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: 05:37:43 at October 2  
**Subject**: Ahem.

Hey, where's that number 16 of the Chem hw I asked you?! I need that this morning. Ms. Matsumoto asked me to drop it off at school today for extra credit. I will kill you if I don't get that extra credit. (Not to mention she might 'boob' me to death.)

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

****To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: 05:40:21 at October 2  
**Subject**: Go to hell, bitch. I already took that class last year.

But since you _are_ my best friend and all (and I'm in such a sickly peachy mood today), I took the liberty of checking your email for it and solving it for you.

The answer's 372mmHg.

Do not doubt Rukia Kuchiki and her scientific calculator.

Life is just DA BOMB.

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

**

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: 05:42:51 at October 2  
**Subject**: What?

Are you sick? What, did Kaien Shiba leave his wife for you or something? Or are you doing drugs without telling me?

Thanks for the answer. (BIG, BIG, BIG HUG!)

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

**

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: 05:43:39 at October 2  
**Subject**: No, but it would be cool if that actually happened.

You'll find out in due time, my dear. (Ask anything and I swear I will NOT help you with your homework anymore.)

Anyways, you wanna go grab some ice cream before lunch? I'm been craving Coldstone since, like, forever.

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

**

* * *

To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: 05:45:26 at October 2  
**Subject**: Whatever.

Sure. Your treat. Right after I give my dog a bath.

Toods,  
T.A.

* * *

"Hey, lemme have some of that, freak."

"No way! Get your own, bitch! Bubblegum's, like, the best flavor—"

"I just wanna try it—!"

"Hell no!"

"C'mon, just one spoonful and I'll shut up forever—"

"Get away—! Aw, shit, you made me spill it, you bitch! There goes my three bucks!"

"That's what you get, freak."

"Gimme your ice cream, _now_."

"In your freaky little face, midget."

SPLAT.

-**oOo**-

Rukia always believe in something which she personally branded 'Balance in Nature,' which is an unwritten rule that ultimately governed everything on this planet. It went hand-in-hand with the 'Opposites Attract, Likes Repel' thing. Pretty girl friend, ugly boyfriend. Night and day, rain and shine, etc.

That was why she never questioned why she was stuck with an intolerable lab partner such as Ichigo Kurosaki. Sure, they got along well _sometimes_ (emphasis on that), but they just couldn't click together so easily.

_God, please help meee._

…

Rukia: Okay, let's try this again. What is, uhm, Taxonomy?

Ichigo: It's… the study of taxes?

(She hit him on the shoulder with a heavy textbook. There was a yelp of pain.)

Rukia: For Pete's sake, did you even bother reading or something? No, wait. Can you even read in the first place?

Ichigo: Well, why are you bothering to help me with this? You're wasting your time, Shortcake.

Rukia: _Because_ in this subject, our exam, which will start in fifteen minutes, is team-graded. Sad to say, _you_ are my team. Let's say I get an A-plus and you get a C-minus, they get our average marks, which will probably be around a B-minus, if that were the case. I cannot _afford_ a B-minus, Ichigo Kurosaki, do you hear me?

Ichigo: You know, Shortcake, I kinda like the way you say my name.

Rukia: Screw you! Taxonomy is the biological discipline of naming and classifying organisms, okay?

Ichigo: I knew that. I was just pissing you off. I studied last night.

Rukia: Oh, really? Wow, Ichigo Kurosaki actually deflated his air-filled head to review for an exam!

(He scoffed.)

Ichigo: Okay, what's Embryology?

Rukia: The study of the development of organisms.

Ichigo: What about Immunology?

Rukia: The study of the immune system.

Ichigo: And Proteomics?

Rukia: …

Ichigo: What was that, Shortcake?

Rukia: Shut up! It's on the tip of my tongue. It's, uhm… the… study of…

(He laughed annoyingly.)

…

"Close all textbooks, handouts, and reviewers," Kurotsuchi announced from the front of the room. "The exam will commence in ten seconds."

"Hey, what's Proteomics?" she whispered to him, her voice cutting.

Ichigo grinned his playboy grin. "I thought you knew everything, Shortcake?" he teased.

"No, I don't. No one knows everything! Now tell me!" Rukia clicked her Chappy pen nervously.

"Sorry, but _he_ doesn't allow talking during tests," he said smoothly.

Rukia gawked at him in disbelief.

_Burn in hell, you stupid strawberry!_

-**oOo**-

"Go away, Renji."

Said guy sneered. "Aw, c'mon, Rookie. How about coffee this Saturday? My treat. I know you love mocha lattes."

_Argh._

"No, thanks." Rukia shoved her books into her locker. "And _stop_ calling me that."

"How about pizza? It's Pepperoni Overload Wednesday tomorrow," he said, unfaltering.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Renji, do you know the meaning of the word 'no'?"

"Uh… _no_?" he replied smoothly as he fell instep with her in the busy hallway.

"Ha ha, nice try. I can say that in sixteen different languages, by the way. Or do you really want me to just spell it out for you—?"

Renji sighed in frustration and blocked her way. "Look, all I want is to take you out. Just grab something to eat, nothing else. _Why_ on earth won't you let me take you out?"

"The same reason why I don't wanna go out with you," Rukia snapped, putting her hands on her hips.

"And what's that reason?" he asked her.

_Are you annoying me on purpose, Renji Abarai? Because congratulations! You just got a Yahtzee!_

Now it was Rukia's turn to sigh. "Because I, uhm, already have a boyfriend," she lied (well, kind of lied anyway).

"What?" Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I do. We've been together for quite some time now."

_More like, what, three weeks._

"Who is he then?" he pressed on, still blocking her way.

Rukia hesitated. _Now would be the best time to introduce yourself, KSA…_ "I'd tell you, but that would be none of your effing business, Renji."

"Oh, I doubt he's sexier than the Renji-meister," he said, tapping his rock-hard abs.

She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Ugh, my friends are waiting for me, so why don't you find some other girl you'd wanna drag to your cave, huh? Bye!" Rukia sidestepped him and sprinted towards the biggest crowd of students she could see.

"Hey, Rookie! Wait up!"

"Bye, Renji!" She stuck out her tongue back at him.

_Sorry, but I'm already spoken for_, she thought with a smile.

-**oOo**-

**Username**: ChappyFreak88  
**Password**: headoverfeet

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1. mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_) – "Still waiting, babe. ;)" (_You appear offline to this friend._)  
2. ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_) – "SLEEPING. WAKE ME UP AT YOUR OWN RISK."  
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4. flyingplumtree (_Hinamori, Momo_) – "Busy. Sorry!"  
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6. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Ishida-kun? Where are you?"  
7. BlowItAway69 (_Muguruma, Kensei_) – "You're a pig, Renji."  
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(_You will now appear on this user's friend list when he/she signs in and he/she will appear on your friend list every time you sign in._)

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**Zangetsu09**: Hey, Shortcake.

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**Do you want to reply to this message? (Y/N)**

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* * *

ChappyFreak88**: Hey, Strawberry.

…

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…

**Zangetsu09**: Shortcake. What's up?

**ChappyFreak88**: Just Googling stuff.

**ChappyFreak88**: Where'd you get my screen name?

**Zangetsu09**: You gave it to me last Monday.

**ChappyFreak88**: Oh. I did? Sorry, lol.

…

**Zangetsu09**: Anyways, I gtg.

**Zangetsu09**: Karin's got another game, I gotta drop her off.

**ChappyFreak88**: Alright. See ya, Strawberry.

**Zangetsu09**: Take care, Shortcake.

**ChappyFreak88**: Strawberry Shortcake, lmao.

**Zangetsu09**: Whatever, Shortcake.

**ChappyFreak88**: Screw you!

_Zangetsu09 has signed out._

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-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: Hello, people of FF! And thank you for not strangling me or sending me hate mail because of the last cliffy. I hope this pathetic excuse for a chapter will make up for it. :)

**Another Note**: Can I hear 100 reviews? ;)


	8. CHAPTER 7: The New Girl

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: Me no own Bleach!

**Author's Note**: Hi guys! I'm sorry for the slight delay. I know I usually update, like, every week, but since I have my midterms, I temporarily set my writings aside for a few days to study. So… yeah, sorry about that. Oh, and thank you for the review flood. I'm soooo touched. I'd give you guys cookies and milk if I could. :)

Do you know what totally sucks about toothaches? It's, like, when only one of your teeth hurts but the entire side of your head feels like it was hit by a shovel. And I was, like, HELLO, how do I freaking eat, sleep, think, write, etc.?! OMG, kill me now.

-**oOo**-

I need a little more luck than a little bit,  
`Cause every time I get stuck  
The words won't fit.  
And every time that I try I get tongue-tied,  
I need a little good luck to get me by.  
I need a little more help than a little bit,  
Like the perfect one word  
No one's heard yet,  
`Cause every time that I try I get tongue-tied,  
I need a little good luck to get me by this time.

- Tongue-Tied, Faber Drive

-**oOo**-

_Thread_: Dah 411 on ewe! ;) Cmon, evry1! Totally Random Q&A! (_26 replies_)  
_Author_: pigtails_r_kewl (_Sarugaki, Hiyori_)  
_Date Posted_: October 4 at 12:36:11  
_Last Reply on_: October 15 at 22:19:27

…

1. **Who the hell are you?  
**- Hiyori Sarugaki, the cutest blonde cheerleader EVAH

2. **And you go to school at…?  
**- KPHS! Go Lions!

3. **What do you…**

…

…

…

**Reply to this thread? (Y/N)**

…

…

…

_Reply posted by_: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
_Date posted_: October 16 at 16:01:51

…

1. **Who the hell are you?  
**- Rukia Kuchiki, only heiress to the Kuchiki clan.

2. **And you go to school at…?  
**- Ugh. KPHS.

3. **What do you enjoy doing?  
**- Googling stuff, reading, listening to music, acting.

4. **Do you look young or old for your age?  
**- Young, lol.

5. **Any siblings?  
**- Yeah, an older brother.

6. **How about (secret) crushes?  
**- Uhm…

7. **What do you think of carrots?  
**- …?

8. **I bet you're missing someone right now…  
**- WTFF?

9. **Favorite cartoon character?  
**- Chappy the Rabbit!

10. **Who do you think are your 'real' friends?  
**- The bitch, Orihime, and Chad.

11. **What's your current location?  
**- Biology class, last period. Doing this on my Blackberry.

12. **What's the closest orange thing to you?  
**- Uh… Something spiky.

13. **How tall are you?  
**- As tall as your—

14. **Look to your left. What do you see?  
**- An idiot.

15. **Hmmm… Are you in love?  
**- Who the hell made this stupid survey anyway?!

* * *

"Rukia, get up. Breakfast is ready." Byakuya tapped his foot impatiently on the carpet.

_Oh, wow… A rainbow! It's so sparkly!_

"Umf… You look sooo… pretty, Bya…kuya…"

_The pretty pink pigs are flying! OMG!_

"I have a golf game in ten minutes. I swear on our parents' graves I will kill you if I miss that game," he hissed, crossing his arms. "Get up."

Rukia moaned in her sleep. "But… I don't wanna say… goodbye to Chappy yet…"

_And it's raining Starburst! That's just awesome!_

Byakuya pulled off her comforter. "Get up," he repeated. "Don't make me use _the horn_."

Stubbornly, she curled into a ball on her side and started snoring. Byakuya sighed, went out the room, and came back a minute later with an innocent looking sprayer. Its label read 'Honk-in-a-Can'.

"I wish… it would rain Skittles next… time…"

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Byakuya pointed the nozzle at Rukia's ear.

And he squeezed it.

…

Five seconds later…

"GET THE FUCK OUT! PERVERT!"

"The pancakes are on the countertop. There's milk in the fridge." Byakuya dodged a flying shoe.

"SCREW YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! YOU CALL YOURSELF A BROTHER?!"

"Take care, too," he said, amused as he reached for the door.

"I HOPE YOU TRIP OVER YOUR OWN FOOT AND FALL INTO A HELLHOLE!"

"I'll be back by four. You should be back by six."

"IF MOM WE'RE STILL ALIVE, SHE'D GROUND YOU FOR DOING THAT! YOU'RE SUCH A LOSER, BYAKUYA!"

Her brother grinned. "Bye, Rukia."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER SEVEN  
**_The New Girl_

-**oOo**-

Kisuke Urahara removed his green and white striped hat as he stepped inside the room. Rukia always thought he looked so much better that way and wished he always kept that… _thing_ off. The blond hair was kind of cute, in a really weird way.

"Good morning, class," he drawled in his offhanded way.

Everyone responded with a very lazy "Good morning, Mr. Urahara."

Said professor cleared his throat. "Okay, for your daily reminders, someone from class 12-B has recently lost his wallet and…"

It was a dull Thursday morning and an even duller homeroom period. Rukia safely tucked one of her earphones inside her ear and watched the soundless movement of the homeroom adviser's lips and the occasional yawning or fidgeting of a classmate/bored victim.

It's been almost three weeks since she last saw KSA and as much as she would like to deny it, she really missed him.

_Hello? Who wouldn't? I just made out with him, like, twice already!_

Rukia even downloaded that song they danced to and put it on repeat mode every night. Well, talk about obsession, but no, she was definitely not obsessed.

Just… hung over, maybe.

He wasn't her boyfriend, she wasn't his girlfriend. There was no security or anything that normal couples would like to have, but Rukia couldn't really care less now. Heck, he didn't even know who the guy was, but she could say that she lov—

_Hold it!_

_Let's not be so quick here._

Rukia Kuchiki always thought about stuff even before admitting something to herself. Because if she did admit to herself that she liked-_liked_ him, then that would be the end of her logical train of thought.

She could not afford that. Not when she was a senior and was—

"—a transferee student from a Seireitei High School…"

_Hey! I've been in this district since, like, forever—_

_Oh._

_Yeah._

Her head snapped up as she removed her earphones.

Rukia noticed Mizuiro's eyes spark with newfound amazement.

Well, he couldn't blame him really.

"Yeah, uhm, hi," the girl said, neither timidly nor very confidently. She was, well, completely and utterly gorgeous to say the least with her tan skin and purple (?) hair and the most arresting golden eyes. Rukia immediately felt a twinge of envy when she took note of how hot she looked even when wearing the dull, prescribed uniform.

_Now why can't I look like that?_

"Tell us something about yourself, don't be shy," Urahara encouraged as he sat behind his desk. "The guys don't really bite."

She cleared her throat. "My name's, uh, Yoruichi Shihoin. I'm eighteen years old and I enjoy playing soccer and basketball," she said.

The guys were elbowing each other and a couple of girls raised their eyebrows as if to say 'Who the hell are you and who gave the rights to look that stunning even without makeup?'

"—Dude, you should get her to tryout for the football team next season—"

"—Aw, that'd be sweet. We'd, like, share showers and everything—!"

_Ugh. That's just disgusting_, Rukia thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, class, settle down, for Pete's sake," said Urahara, standing up from his chair. "Miss Shihoin, you can take the vacant seat next to Miss Arisawa."

Yoruichi obliged, her long, dark hair swaying behind her head in a ponytail. She walked—no, sashayed through the aisle and gracefully sat down, safely tucking her books under her desk, looking every bit like a Victoria's Secret supermodel as she did so.

Tatsuki held out a hand. "Tatsuki Arisawa," she introduced herself.

The new girl smiled (Rukia felt like she needed shades for those pearly whites) and shook her hand. "Yoruichi Shihoin. Nice to meet you, Tatsuki."

Rukia held out her own hand. "Rukia Kuchiki," she introduced, smiling.

"Hi, Rukia."

"Oh, God, teach me how to walk like that and I'll get you into the basketball team in a snap," Tatsuki blurted out.

_Tatsuki plus catwalk equals major disaster_, Rukia concluded.

"Wow, you're a member of the basketball team?" Yoruichi said, looking impressed while ignoring the glances of the male population of the room.

Tatsuki beamed. "You're speaking to the _capitaine_, my dear friend."

"I used to be front forward back in my old school," said Yoruichi. "But being a captain's, like, whoa, so out of my league."

"Teach me the catwalk and you're in."

"Deal."

Rukia shook her head.

-**oOo**-

_This portion is to be submitted along with the filled out application form.  
__Please use black ink.  
__Write legibly in print._

**UNIVERSITY OF KARAKURA  
**_To Life and Truth_

**Undergraduate Applicant Essay**

**Applicant Name**: _Kurosaki, Ichigo  
_**Age**: _18  
_**Gender**: _Male  
_**Secondary School**: _Karakura Private High School  
_**Major interested in**: _A.B. Mass Communication (Major in Broadcast Journalism)  
_**INSTRUCTIONS**: Please answer the following questions briefly and vehemently. Avoid erasures and limit your answer to a maximum of 200 words per question.

---

**What is the reason why you chose this specific major?  
**_I've never really liked poetry or any of that (shit) stuff we were forced to do in creative writing class, but I've always been interested in the newspaper business. I'm not a member of the school paper (since all they ever wrote about was fashion and gossip) and I never got a mark higher than a B-plus in my CW classes, maybe because fiction isn't my thing. There's just something about writing about real stuff that intrigues me._

**Name a trait you possess that makes you a cut above the rest of the applicants of your course.  
**_I think I'd make a really good reporter or journalist, because people always think I'm this brainless guy with orange hair so they don't really think I have something good to say. I think what I have is determination to prove them wrong (as negative as that may sound). I'm more than what people think of me and I'm more than willing to prove that through what I may write in the near future._

**Complete the sentence: "I want to __________ the world." Explain your answer.  
**_I want to __open the eyes of__ the world. What the world needs now are journalists who tell things as they are – people who don't use fancy words or terms that half the readers don't even know. The world needs writers who tell the truth without covering up almost all of the real stuff, people who actually spend time outside, not stuck-up, dictionary carrying freaks._

* * *

Ichigo yawned and scratched his nose. It was already half-past eleven in the evening, but he couldn't quite find the sleepiness to hit the sheets. And he knew exactly why.

And the endless list of questions kept him awake yet again.

_Who the hell is she?_

_Why was I so stupid that I didn't ask for her name?_

_Where the hell do I find her?_

He sighed.

Well, for one thing, he was completely sure she was a senior at KPHS since she told him she was busy with her application forms. 'Codename: Cinderella' was also a brunette and was about 4'11" more or less. But the one thing that stood out to Ichigo was that she had round, gem-colored eyes that made him want to get lost in them.

…

Alright, fine. She was just plain… beautiful.

And there was that word again. _Beautiful._

Not 'pretty' or 'cute' or 'hot' or 'drop dead gorgeous' or anything else synonymous that that.

Again, _sigh_.

It's was more than a couple of weeks since the last time they'd seen each other, but it felt like it had been forever. That familiar tinge of masculine admiration he felt when they met that night hadn't fazed a bit.

Ichigo Kurosaki never had a problem with women (well, except for when they just won't leave him alone). They had always been there and getting a girlfriend was as easy as, let's say, _getting girls_. DUH.

But this case was different.

And it was driving him insane.

_Is this my karma?_

Renji would never live it down if he found out that he was head-over-heels for this girl he didn't even knew.

Slowly, he heaved out a sigh again and tucked his application form safely inside his desk and was about to get up from his desk when a small 'pop' from his laptop stopped him.

Ichigo raised an orange eyebrow when he recognized the screen name.

* * *

**ChappyFreak88**: Kurosaki.

…

…

…

**Zangetsu09**: Hey, Shortcake.

**Zangetsu09**: `Sup?

**ChappyFreak88**: Stop calling me that.

**ChappyFreak88**: Anyways, I was wondering if you could print out my CW homework for me. I ran out of ink and it's kind of due tomorrow. All my other friends are asleep. Boohoo.

**Zangetsu09**: Uh, yeah, sure. Send it to my e-mail. You owe me one.

**ChappyFreak88**: THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)

**ChappyFreak88**: I'd hug you right now, but that's kinda gross, lol.

…

…

…

**ChappyFreak88**: So… What're you up to?

**Zangetsu09**: Not much. Can't sleep.

**Zangetsu09**: You?

**ChappyFreak88**: I was about to hit the sheets, but I guess I can stay for a few more minutes.

**Zangetsu09**: Wow. I'm honored.

**Zangetsu09**: Oh, btw, you're in the same class as that new girl, right?

**ChappyFreak88**: Yoruichi? Yeah. Why, you want her number? HAHA.

**Zangetsu09**: I didn't know midgets had ESP.

**ChappyFreak88**: I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that.

**ChappyFreak88**: I don't have her number though. Try asking Tatsuki.

**Zangetsu09**: Alright, thanks.

**ChappyFreak88**: Anyways, I'm going to sleep.

**ChappyFreak88**: What time are you at school tomorrow?

**Zangetsu09**: 7:45. I'll meet you at the East Wing.

**ChappyFreak88**: Sure. Thanks so much!

**Zangetsu09**: Night.

**ChappyFreak88**: Good night.

_ChappyFreak88 has changed her status message to "Dnd. I'm in Dreamland."_

…

_You have successfully signed out._

* * *

"Ichigo?"

Said guy turned around to see Yuzu's light-brown head peek from behind his door.

_Probably had a nightmare again._

"Come in." He closed his laptop and sat on the edge of his bed with a yawn.

Yuzu stepped inside, clad in her pajamas and clutching a pink pillow. "Can I sleep here just for tonight?" she asked him. "Karin won't let me crash in her room."

"It's okay," Ichigo said as he slipped under the covers. "Turn off the lights for me."

The quieter twin obliged and climbed in with him, flopping on the mattress as she did so.

"I dream about Mom, too, sometimes," he said with his eyes closed. "The same dream, actually."

Yuzu just snuggled closer to him in response and it was Ichigo's brotherly instinct to throw an arm around her.

…

He was about to drift off to sleep when Yuzu finally spoke up.

And it was something quite unexpected.

"Pop told me you have a girlfriend." She giggled.

"W-What?" Ichigo yelped as he opened his eyes in horror. "Who?"

"Karin said the same thing," said Yuzu. "The girl you were with in one of her baseball matches. Dad told me to tell you that have good taste—"

_The midget?_

_What the—_

"She's _not_ my girlfriend," he droned out as he closed his eyes again.

"Yeah, that's what they all say."

_Screw that horny old man!_

"Another word and I'll make you sleep on the floor," he warned his sister.

"Good night, Ichigo!"

_UGH._

-**oOo**-

The next day…

"What took you so damn long?! I'm already two minutes late!" Rukia screeched in about two tones higher than her normal voice.

"Yeah, uh… The traffic was horrible?" Ichigo said lamely.

"Whatever. Did you bring my homework?" she snapped.

The carrot-top grinned amusedly. "Hey, don't forget. You're the one who asked me a favor midget."

"Give me my homework! I'm effing late!"

"Come to think of it," he said as he took out a single sheet of paper from his messenger bag and held it two feet above her dainty head. "Shouldn't you be _extra_ nice to me?"

_She looks kinda cute when she's heated up like that. Reminds me of Karin._

"Gimme that!" She jumped up, trying to snatch her essay from him but to no avail. "Screw you! I hate you!"

"Come and get it, Shortcake." He chuckled his irritating chuckle.

"SCREW YOU!"

-**oOo**-

**SHUT UP AND LISTEN!**

**What  
**House (and beer) par-tay!

**Why  
**My parents went to Hawaii for the weekend, so yeah.

**When  
**Tonight, 8PM till morning

**Where  
**Asano residence

All **seniors** are invited! (Sorry, underclassmen.)  
Only KPHS students, please!  
This flyer will serve as your invitation!  
Beer is free, but bring more, okay?!  
Be there… or just suck up at home. HA!

SEE YA!

-**oOo**-

It was a very high noon when they decided to have lunch at the courtyard, which was why Rukia was thankful for the tree they were taking advantage of. Orihime, Chad, and the bitch was there, along with the new (hot) girl, Yoruichi.

She was okay, although Rukia was honestly starting to feel a little… uncomfortable (_insecure?!_) because, well, Yoruichi had legs and skin that she could only dream of having. Rukia then decided on her better judgment that Yoruichi reminded her of a young Halle Berry.

_Catwoman._

_ARGH._

"So, why'd you transfer here again? It's your senior year, doesn't that just sound, like, depressing?" Rukia asked as she took a bite of her ham and egg sandwich.

Yoruichi shrugged. "Well, it's nothing really. We moved around a lot, `cause my dad can't stay at one job for too long," she joked.

"Oh, okay." Rukia paused, thinking of what to say, since Tatsuki dozed off again, and Chad and Orihime were having a stare-a-thon.

…

"Who're they?" Yoruichi pointed to a couple of girls sitting by the fountain, laughing their heads off.

Rukia scoffed. "The one with black hair's Lisa Yadomaru. SC President wannabe and all-around bitch. Word of advice: Stay away from her. She bites," she said. "And the one with pigtails is Hiyori Sarugaki, the head cheerleader of KPHS. She nice for a cheerleader. A bit stupid sometimes."

"That's a weird combination. And those guys?" Yoruichi said as she pointed to a group of guys hanging out at another tree about twenty feet away, chasing stupidly after a soccer ball.

"The pink-haired guy's Renji Abarai. Had a crush on me since second grade, poor guy. And I know what you're thinking – his hair's naturally like that." Pause. "The one with the really _ew_ haircut over there's Mizuiro Kojima. He likes older women so most of us girls always keep a fifteen-mile radius away from him `cause that's just, like, gross." Pause. "And the guy with the PSP is Keigo Asano. The guy never gets a real date or girlfriend `cause he's always too busy with his video games to even consider the possibility of an actual world outside the World of Warcraft."

Yoruichi scratched her chin and laughed. "I'll keep that in mind," she trailed off as she scanned the courtyard for other students.

…

"Wow. Talk about being a WWE fan."

"Oh, that's Kenpachi Zaraki. Don't be fooled by the spiky hair, eye patch, and scary scars. He's really just a big softie. One time, in tenth grade, I caught him helping an old lady cross the street."

"Weird. Hmmm… Hey, wait. Isn't that kid, like, _way_ too young to be here?"

"Toshiro Hitsugaya. He's, like, three years younger than the rest of our class. Got excelled `cause he's really smart and all."

"And that guy?"

"That's Gin Ichimaru. Another one you should stay away from. He's the resident freak and he's been creeping me out with that smile of his since he transferred here in the seventh grade."

"Ooh. For a nerd, he looks kinda hot."

"Sosuke Aizen. He and Gin are like two peas in a pod. It's like he's always planning something in his sicko brain. I suggest you keep your distance."

…

The intros when on for about twenty more minutes before the new girl's feline eyes landed on a particular carrot-top who joined the group of guys who were now finished with their makeshift soccer game.

"And who's that?"

"Ugh. That's Ichigo Kurosaki. The self-proclaimed _ladies' man_. He's, like, Renji Abarai's best friend. Don't fall for his deadly charms because they can really kill." Pause. "Your patience."

"I think he's kinda cute."

Rukia choked on her boxed juice.

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

Yoruichi shrugged. "I think he's cute," she repeated. "Is he, like, available?"

_Uhm…_

The other girl's face flushed. (_WHAT THE—?!_) Tatsuki must've heard that too because she groaned irately in her sleep.

"He's… constantly available, but if you're _interested_—" Rukia spat out the word as if it were something foul. "—you'd have to get past his ten-foot thick wall of angry mob _slash_ fan girls.

_Wait, why am I starting to get pissed anyway?_

_What the hell's wrong with me?_

"Hmmm… Why the sudden possessiveness, Rukia?" Yoruichi raised an intrigued (perfectly-plucked) eyebrow.

_I… uh…_

She was at a loss for words.

Why was she talking like that anyway?

Yoruichi looked like she was going to bombard her with more questions, but the after-lunch bell resounded throughout the courtyard in the nick of time, effectively waking up Tatsuki and snapping Chad and Orihime out of their stare-fest.

_Whew! Saved by the bell!_

"Oh, well, would you look at the time? I have Calc in three minutes! See you!"

Rukia bolted like lightning and left a very curious Yoruichi behind.

-**oOo**-

October 20  
On the porch, having a moment  
Just by myself, pen in hand, journal on my lap, listening to Paramore

Dear Journal,

HELP MEEE.

And no, this is NOT about Kaien! I'm so over him.

Yeah, right.

But anyway…

I've always been a very possessive girl when it came to my… _men_. Like there was a point in my childhood (when my parents were still alive) when I always got jealous of Mom because Dad had a tendency to completely ignore me whenever she was around.

There was also a time when Byakuya got a girlfriend back when he was still in high school. I hated how all that he ever seemed to talk about (of the very few times he talked) was her, so when he took her home to meet our parents, I chased her out the house with a kitchen knife.

She was never to be heard from again.

When I found out Kaien Shiba got married to a girl named Miyako, well… I cried my heart out for weeks and refused to eat anything (Talk about obsession.) since well, it was the only thing I could do.

And now, well… uhm, there's (dare I say his name) Ichigo Kurosaki.

THERE! I FRIGGIN' SAID IT!

I have openly admitted my graceful defeat.

I think there's, uhm, a teensy-weensy, very, very unlikely, 0.000000001 percent that I may actually like-_like_ him.

(I'm really, really sorry KSA, but—)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

ARGH.

Resistance is futile.

And how did I come to this conclusion, you ask?

…

You see, there's this new girl at school. Her name's Yoruichi Shihoin and she just transferred from Seireitei High. She's pretty much okay, and if you wanna know what she looks like, well, let's just say half the guys in my class are already drooling over her.

When she was asking me the Who's-Who when we were hanging out at lunch, Carrot Head just had to come out from wherever hellhole he was in, and so Yoruichi told me that she thought he was… _cute_.

Come _on_.

For one thing, Ichigo Kurosaki is NOT cute. He's more on… sexy, obnoxious, orange-haired guy who just can't seem to get enough of picking on me in Biology period.

Wait, _what?_

See! I told you!

I am so in deep shit.

I've hated him for as long as I could remember. I mean, does the phrase "The more you hate, the more you love" have any scientific, psychological basis at all?

…

**I HATE ICHIGO KUROSAKI BECAUSE IN THE…**

- FIRST GRADE: He borrowed one of my favorite crayons and gave it back – in two pieces.

- SECOND GRADE: I gave him an origami of Chappy the Rabbit, which I saw in the rubbish bin the next day. (I know it looked awful, but I worked hard on that! Can't a girl get some appreciation here?!)

- THIRD GRADE: We were in same group in Science class and he asked me what my name was. HELLO, we've been sitting next to each other in class for the past two years! (_Kuchiki_ always comes before _Kurosaki_, DUH.)

- FOURTH GRADE: I gave him an invitation for my tenth birthday party and saw him make a paper airplane out of it, which he used to send a love note to Orihime Inoue.

- FIFTH GRADE: It was Christmas and I was making a snow statue of Chappy on our front lawn when he and Renji Abarai were having a snowball fight and "accidentally" knocked over the sculpture that took me three whole hours to do. (And the best part is he didn't even apologize!)

- SIXTH GRADE: He and Kenpachi Zaraki along with the other boys were fooling around with a football to see who kicks farthest. I fail to believe that his aiming was off because his football hit me _square_ on the face.

- SEVENTH GRADE: I went to school with a really big, really red zit in the middle of my nose and he called me "The Zit Girl" for the rest of the year.

- EIGHTH GRADE: When he had a growth spurt and got taller than the rest of us, I bumped into him in one of the hallways and he told me, "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you down there." (I mean, _c'mon_, am I really _that_ short?)

- NINTH GRADE: When we finished our report on The Great Wall of China (with the bitch and Toshiro Hitsugaya) and he forgot to put my name on the cover page because "I forgot your name. (insert annoying laugh here)"

- TENTH GRADE: We were in the cafeteria when he cut lines with Renji so the last order of meatballs (which was _rightfully_ mine) went to him instead. (I will never forget this, EVER.)

- ELEVENTH GRADE: He copy-pasted one of my essays for English and tweaked it a bit to make it look like he wrote it. He got an A-plus for it and I was forced to change mine the last minute, and got an A-minus.

- TWELFTH GRADE: He became an irresistible, annoying, cocky jerk whom I can't seem to get off my back, who has a 'I'm _the_ ladies' man,' 'I make this uniform look good,' 'I ditch dates to take watch my little sister in her baseball game,' 'I'll print out your CW homework for you' air I just can't get enough of.

There.

Does that tell you everything?

Ah, screw it.

I need a drink. Good thing there's a beer party at the Asano's later. I could use _some_.

Your master, who's as confused and as lost as ever,  
Rukia

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: October 20 at 20:01:18  
**Subject**: MOVE IT, FREAK!

I'll be there by 8:30. Get ready. I don't have time to wait on you while you play dress up again while there's a really awesome party waiting.

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

****To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: October 20 at 20:03:49  
**Subject**: ARGH.

I so DO NOT play dress up.

Uhm, can I get a roll call?

Chappy is awsome,  
Rukia

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: October 20 at 20:04:51  
**Subject**: (no subject)

Chad: Missing-in-action since, well, he doesn't really drink.

Orihime: On a date with Uryu Ishida. UGH.

Yoruichi: Gonna be late, but she told me she'll be there.

You: Doing whatever it is you're doing.

Me: Watching American Idol.

The rest of the class: Already there.

Toods,  
T.A.

**

* * *

****To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**:ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**:October 20 at 20:05:39  
**Subject**:Great.

(Message is blank.)

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: Do I hear an angry mob? I know, I totally spaced out for like, what, two months? I've just been really busy. College isn't just about Friday night parties (like the one in this fic), okay? Much as I wanted to write, I just didn't have the time. So there, uhm… Are my readers still there? :D


	9. Chapter 8: The Longest River in the Worl

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: Me no ownie Bleachie!

**Author's Note**: Awww. Thank you for the love, guys! It totally inspires me when I submit a chapter and then check my mail the next day to find that I have, like, 20+ reviews already! It's just so overwhelming.

My nails are so cute. They're, like, in this awesome shade of apple green and sky blue and I can't believe it took me two whole hours to finish doing them. I was putting on nail polish while writing this chapter and my nails kept on getting caught in between the keys, so I was yelling "NOOOOOOOOOO!" every, like, five minutes.

Some Ichi/Ruki action(?) later!

-**oOo**-

_I used to know a brother,  
__But I never knew I loved her  
__Till the day she laid her eyes on me.  
__Now I'm jumpin' up and down,  
__She's the only one around,  
__And she means every little thing to me!  
__I've got your picture in my wallet  
__And your phone number to call it.  
__And I miss you more  
__Whenever I think about you.  
__I've got your mixed tape in my walkman,  
__Been so long since we've been talkin'.  
__And in a few more days,  
__We'll both look up forever, forever._

- Moment Of Truth, FM Static

-**oOo**-

The party wasn't as lame and ridiculously stupid as she expected. Well, to be frank, anything that involved Renji Abarai and alcohol was bound to be headed somewhere along the road of hurts-like-hell pranks, smashing windows with ten foot drops, and broken china.

Thankfully, the Asano residence was big enough to accommodate the entire senior class without having to completely trash Keigo's Mom's expensive-looking lamps and furniture. The living room, which usually had leather sofas and crystal coffee tables, was cleared out and was conveniently transformed into a dance floor with the deejay from the BTS dance ripping music at a platform.

Rukia and Tatsuki came around thirty minutes late to avoid any unwarranted attention (namely from Renji and, well, Lisa Yadomaru). As always, said tomboy headed straight for the food table without even so much as a goodbye and left Rukia standing awkwardly under the disco ball, in the middle of the dance floor.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Oh, sorry! Didn't see you!"

"_Hey!_"

"Wanna dance with me?"

"In your freakin' dreams."

_Talk about being inconspicuous._

_Screw that bitch._

So Rukia had no other choice but to do what a responsible young adult would do in… this _mature_ social gathering which manifested really awesome semi-independence like no other.

DRINK!

Yey!

As if right on cue, Nemu Kurotsuchi came into view, carrying a tray filled with paper cups.

The girl was really good-looking (one of the prettiest in their class), but there was something about her that reminded Rukia of a robot. Or an android maybe. Well, she was, after all, the daughter of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, that freaktard professor in her Biology class (according to gossip).

_Shivers._

The truth was… she couldn't imagine someone marrying who always walked around wearing that hat (which made Kisuke Urahara's look completely in style). I mean, the guy wore blue paint for Christ's sake!

"There's tequila sunrise, vodka cruiser, and… what this—oh, strawberry punch."

_Strawberry?_

_Uh…_

"I'll have the vodka."

"Here." Nemu handed her an innocent-looking paper cup.

"Thanks."

…

She was on her fourth vodka cruiser (and far from intoxication) when she decided to have a seat on one of the unoccupied beanbags at far corner of the room (which was lit well enough so that no couple would dare take advantage of it) and looked on to her heart's content.

You see, this was the best part of being not-so-popular-yet-not-totally-invisible.

You get to see practically _everything_ that goes on in these kinds of parties.

Narrowing her purple eyes sharply, she took another sip of her drink. Almost everyone was there by the time it was ten in the evening.

There were even some who were still in their uniforms (more or less clothing) and Rukia was relieved she didn't come _overly_ overdressed. A purple tank top, jeans, and flip-flops did the trick for her.

_Hmmm…_

Of course, the life of the party, Renji Abarai, was trying to get everyone's attention before he performed another one of his party routine death-defying stunts and was now strapped to a rope that stretched on towards one of the house's stained-glass windows.

"Fifteen bucks says he'll never make it out alive!" challenged Tatsuki from the crowd.

"I'll raise you twenty if he does." Nemu raised two tens in the air.

_So immature._

Rukia rolled her eyes and scanned the crowd again.

Kensei Muguruma was there along with Hiyori Sarugaki. No doubt this was one of his plans to get her drunk enough to get her to have sex with him. And then breakup with her the next day.

_Men._

_I can see right through you!_

…

The bitch was over by the buffet table, virtually inhaling the all-you-can-eat food like there was no tomorrow like the other _guys_.

_HAHAHA._

_Oops. Good thing she can't read thoughts._

…

Rukia spotted Toshiro Hitsugaya hand-in-hand with Momo Hinamori as they came around two hours late. She guessed they got… a little busy first before they went here. She heard from a reliable source that they broke up this morning.

Oh, and there was Mizuiro Kojima, who brought yet another one of his college graduate chicks and was, well, shamelessly making out with her on one of the marble staircases.

_Get a room, HELLO!_

Chizuru Honsho?

Still looking for Orihime Inoue and failing miserably. (_Note to self: Do not show face to her._)

Kenpachi Zaraki?

Pigging out at the food table along with the freaky pink-haired little girl he was always with.

Ikkaku Madarame?

Being used as a mirror by Lisa Yadomaru `cause his head's so shiny and all. (_Ugh, I wish he would drop the pink eye shadow already._)

Shinji Hirako?

Drunk. _Already._ Alcohol much?

Ganju Shiba?

Being his usual ugly self. (_I'm so, so evil. MWAHAHA. But not his brother. NEVER his brother._)

Soifon?

Beating up a drip from section three. The girl seriously had temper issues and anyone who was unlucky enough to get her pissed always ended up hanged by his boxers in the school's tallest flagpole for all to see.

_Everyone_ was there. Even that creep Gin Ichimaru was dancing in the middle of the floor with a cute girl from section two.

So where was _he_?

Wait.

…

_He, who?_

…

_He whose head glows like the midday sun,_

_Whose cockiness sucks out all the fun;_

_He who makes the chicks swoon,_

_The strawberry in a late June afternoon—_

_Great. Now I'm a poet._

Rukia sighed. And got up to get more vodka.

She needed it.

"Hey, Nemu! Gimme more of that stuff!"

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER EIGHT  
**_The Longest River In The World_

-**oOo**-

**Username**: Zangetsu09  
**Password**: hollows rock

…

**Zangetsu09's Personal Profile Page  
**"Never stand still. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die."

…

Zangetsu09, 18, male, taken but not really

…

**Name**: Ichigo Kurosaki  
**AKA**: The Ladies' Man, Prince of All Things Orange, Carrot Top  
**Zodiac sign**: Pisces  
**Location**: In every girls' heart  
**School**: KPES, KPJHS, KPHS, University of Karakura (SOON)  
**Likes**: If you're a really pretty lady then I like _you_.  
**Dislikes**: I hate things I don't like, figure it out.  
**Hobbies**: reading _manga_, playing Guitar Hero, checking out babes  
**Favorite movie(s)**: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift  
**Favorite song(s)**: Songs by The Used, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy  
**Friends**: mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_), keigo_asano_4ever (_Asano, Keigo_), ChickMagnet2002 (_Kojima, Mizuiro_), TheQuincyHeir (_Ishida, Uryu_), zaraki666 (_Zaraki, Kenpachi_), amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_), imtheQball (_Madarame, Ikkaku_), A_I_Z_E_N (_Aizen, Sosuke_)…

…

_**Comments for Zangetsu09**_

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 19:32:55  
****Subject**: LIKE OMG I LURRRVE UR HAIR!!!  
**Queenie05**: I've been hearing from my girlfriends that your hair isn't really naturally orange, so I was, like, "Nuh-uh, Kurosaki-kun's hair is _really_ like that since, like, he was born. You're just jealous `cause you ain't blonde." So yeah, uhm… Wanna go out for dinner next week?

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 18:09:24  
****Subject**: (no subject)  
**MRS_KUROSAKI24**: I LOVE YOU ICHIGO WILL YOU MARRY ME U'RE SO HAWT

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 18:41:08  
****Subject**: Dude.  
**imtheQball**: I ran out of shaving cream for my head. Stubbles are starting to grow. I'll be there in ten. You'd better have some. Or else.

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 17:28:59  
****Subject**: fag.  
**mr_shinigami63**: u frikkin broke my sunglasses again. Silver Dragonfly glasses dont come cheap u know. u wont get away with this i swear.

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 15:00:36  
****Subject**: (no subject)  
**TheWhiteDragon**: Momo broke up with me again. Are you sure the "she-will-never-turn-you-down tips" you gave me work?

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at 13:52:22  
****Subject**: I'm so not over you, Ichigo Kurosaki.  
**CaramelLollipop**: I can't believe you dumped me, you fucktard! You are going down, do you hear me, Ichigo Kurosaki?! YOU ARE GOING DOWN!

**Posted on Friday, October 20 at**…

* * *

Ichigo had always liked parties with his class, since, well, everyone knows everyone else, so there were no awkward moments, no "Who the hell are you?" questions, and there were no such things as _inhibitions_.

His best friend was a perfect example.

But since all of his… groupies were underclasswomen, there were also… no girls.

And that was just friggin' boring him to no shit.

Getting pissed drunk was out of question since never, in the history of the town of Karakura, did _the_ Ichigo Kurosaki get drunk. Maybe he had 'beer antibodies' or something.

He sighed.

Even Renji's supposed Arnold Schwarzenegger abs weren't flocked by junior girls who wanted to eat him alive.

And since said friend was about to do death-defying feat number four, there was no way he could talk to him while the guy was hanging from a Venetian chandelier, trying to demolish the entire place using his ass.

_This is just peachy._

_How can I be a ladies' man without any ladies?_

"How much is the highest bet this time, Ken?" Ichigo called out to the burly guy watching the spectacle above.

Kenpachi Zaraki grinned, showing his fangs. "Thirty dollars if he can manage to fall down in twenty minutes. With the chandelier."

"Ha. I'd give it ten minutes—"

"Ichi-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

The last thing he saw before he collapsed on the floor was a blur of pink and the crushing force on his chest.

"Damnit, Yachiru! You're messing up my hair!"

"Ne, Ichi-san?" The little girl (BITCH!) pinched his cheeks so hard it made his eyes water. "Do you wanna play a game with me?"

_OW!_

_Not the face!_

"I don't have time for games right now! Gerroff me!" Ichigo tried to pry the toy-like creature from his face without ripping out any of his exposed skin. "Ken! Put your pet on a leash, will you?!"

Yachiru hopped back to Kenpachi's shoulder before pouting. "Hmf. You're no fun tonight, Ichi. I don't like you anymore."

Shakily, the carrot-top stood up and rubbed his sore back, all the while cursing Yachiru. The mismatched duo then disappeared into the crowd as he checked for any broken bones. _Screw that kid. I swear I'm gonna put that girl in a steel-plated box someday and mail her to Timbuktu—_

"Are you okay?"

Ichigo turned around and found himself looking into a pair of golden eyes and the most luscious lips he had ever seen.

_Woah._

_Always remain cool and composed when conversing with a member of the opposite sex. It is best to show indifference to avoid scaring the women off_, he told himself.

_Double woah._

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he answered suavely, brushing dust off his button-down shirt. He couldn't help himself but drink in the girl in front of him. Exotic and HOT were the first two words that surfaced from his subconscious. Chocolate skin, dark hair, and perfect curves – She made him think about endless beaches in Mexico, bikinis, and tequila. Lots and lots of tequila.

_Damn my hormones._

_Stop doing that._

"I'm Yoruichi Shihoin, by the way," she introduced with cutting-edge confidence that made Ichigo grin. She held out her hand, which he shook briefly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, at your service," he said. "You're the new girl, right?"

Yoruichi laughed in a very feminine way. "Yeah, that's me."

He runs!

He shoots!

"Oh, and you transferred from where?" he asked off-handedly, completely ignoring Renji who was yelling something at him up from the chandelier.

"—Nice one, fag! You go nail `em good—!"

_Shut up, dickhead!_

"Seireitei High," she said, fiddling with the hem of her loose graphic shirt, which looked great on her (even if he knew nothing about girls and their fashion) with the cargo jeans that all but betrayed her head-turning legs.

And she was wearing sneakers, for Kami's sake! Sneakers!

_This is a Grade A opportunity, Ichigo Kurosaki._

_Are you going to pass this up?_

_Of course not._

_Renji will never live this down if I do._

"Well then, Miss Shihoin, will you give me the honor of being your all-around tour guide? We can't have you getting lost, can we?" he offered with a very gentlemanly bow, complete with the twirling wrists.

"Why, my dear sir, of course you may." Yoruichi took his hand, giggling.

He scores!

-**oOo**-

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_), Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_), amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: October 20 at 22:39:10  
**Subject**: You call yourselves _friends_?!

BITCH: Where the eff are you? I've been staring stupidly at everyone since we got here! I can't believe you so totally bailed on me! READ: Gin Ichimaru is looking at me like I'm something to eat. (That smile is just so freakishly _freaky_!) HELP MEEE.

ORIHIME: You completely chose Uryu Ishida over this party, and since you're not here, well, it's so completely your fault that I'm all alone right now! (Remember in the fifth grade when I went out of my way just to tell off Soifon `cause she was picking on your hairclips? Ahem?)

CHAD: You don't drink? Psh. Yeah, right. I know this is one of your excuses to play with that parrot (macaw) of yours again! If you drop by this party, I swear I will bring you my brother's famous home-made cookies (which I know is your favorite!).

Never mind.

_What kind of friends are you people?!_

I shun you.

Do you here me?

**I SHUN YOU!**

Well, now I totally found a new BFF, and it is so much better than you guys.

Meet vodka cruiser.

It's just teh uber awesomeness lsdfkjnakhknls!

Lskdilhsdofkadsg!

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

To: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_), Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_), ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_)  
**Sent**: October 20 at 10:46:55  
**Subject**: Here we go again.

Rukia is drunk.

RUKIA: Lay off the alcohol. It's no good for you.

TATSUKI: Get off the buffet table and _do something_.

Orihime is obviously busy.

And I'm busy, too.

Adios,  
Chad

_I'm flying without wings!_

_No, this is falling—with style!_

_I am Buzz Lightyear!_

_No, fuckhead! I'm Rukia Kuchiki!_

…

Stupid vodka.

Stupid Tatsuki.

Stupid friends.

Stupid party.

Stupid dancing people.

Stupid strawberry-man!

Stupid life!

A dazed smile spread on Rukia's lips as she threw her empty cup in the air and flopped onto the bright green bean bag. The room was starting to spin around her and the colorful blinking disco lights didn't help. She hissed through her teeth in an attempt to stay focus. This was _not_ good. Not good at all.

_But it does feels kinda nice._

There was a cheer from most of the girls as Renji was fired from a makeshift slingshot and flew outside yet another one of those expensive stained glass windows.

_UGH._

Bile was starting to rise from her throat and she got up instinctively, weaving through the bobbing crowd and ignoring that I-can-see-right-through-you stare of Gin Ichimaru's. Her head then started pounding along with the intro beats of a Ne-Yo song.

Ow.

Ow.

Again, _ow_.

…

_I got a problem  
__And I don't know what to do about it.  
__Even if I did  
__I don't know if I will quit,  
__But I doubt.  
__I'm taken by the thought of it._

…

Rukia then saw…

Something orange.

Wait a second!

Bull's eye!

Yes, there he was standing by the doorway leading to the kitchen, framed with the dancing people and glittery lights from the disco ball. And that was when she proved that the 'beer goggles' theory was obviously true because, well, she thought he looked absolutely _yummy_ tonight.

_Yummy?!_

_Where the fuck did that come from?!_

He was in this black buttoned shirt and destroyed jeans and was talking to someone she couldn't make out since that mutant Kenpachi Zaraki was blocking her view.

_Wow, he does look like Kaien… if he'd get his hair dyed black._

…

_And I know this much is true,  
__Baby, you have become my addiction.  
__I'm so strung out on you,  
__I can barely move,  
__But I like it,  
__And it's all because of you—_

…

Hello, she had been in the same school with this jerk since the first grade, which was why she couldn't fathom why the hell she didn't notice he was this… good-looking before. Sure, he was popular with the women (and some of the men) and all that shit, but why now? Why now when they were due to leave for college in a few months and they might never see each other again—?

"Hey, Ken! Get your ass over here now!"

She muttered a silent thanks as Kenpachi went over to Keigo Asano, who was obviously intoxicated as Rukia was, and this gave her the perfect chance to spot who—

Rukia froze.

Everything around her seemed to stand still.

The hand around the cup she was holding started feeling numb.

…

_Yoruichi?_

She blinked a couple of times before she looked again.

_O._

_M._

_G._

_Are you shitting me?_

Feeling a lot more dazed than a couple of moments ago, she started staring like a stupid green-eyed monster when she saw Yoruichi laughing stupidly and Ichigo stupidly saying something that made her giggle stupidly… stupid-ish.

_Why you little bit—_

She chocked on her cruiser as she watched Yoruichi take Ichigo's hand and the couple (_No, they are SO NOT a couple!_) disappeared into the dance floor.

A growl erupted somewhere inside her stomach as she crumpled the empty cup with her fist.

_I knew I shouldn't have gone to this stupid party._

Again, stupid vodka.

Again, stupid strawberry-man.

And there are a few more additions to that list:

Stupid catwoman.

Stupid me.

-**oOo**-

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: October 21 at 00:47:12  
**Subject**: I hate you.

I'm going home.

This party is completely pointless and obtuse.

And it is so beneath me.

Have fun pigging out.

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

-**oOo**-

**Username**: ChappyFreak88  
**Password**: headoverfeet

…

**ChappyFreak88's Personal Profile Page  
**"Rock 'n roll, baby! Don't you know that we're all alone now? I need something to sing about!"

…

ChappyFreak88, 18, female, single

…

**Name**: Rukia, just plain Rukia.  
**AKA**: ChappyFreak88, invisogirl, freak of nature  
**Zodiac sign**: Capricorn  
**Location**: Aboard cloud nine  
**School**: KPES, KPJHS, KPHS, and soon… University of Karakura. (Surprise, surprise.)  
**Likes**: Chappy the Rabbit, chocolate, pizza, mocha lattes, boxed juice, my laptop, drama class, alternative music  
**Dislikes**: obsessive guys, wannabes, differential calculus, visual arts (`cause I suck, I know), idiots, stupid people, valley girl syndrome, hiphop music, _natou_, carrots  
**Hobbies**: acting, reading, writing, studying, thinking, being invisible, hanging out with friends, watching other people do what they do  
**Favorite movie(s)**: 10 Things I Hate About You, Pride and Prejudice, Bruce Almighty  
**Favorite song(s)**: Buses and Trains (Bachelor Girl), CrushCrushCrush (Paramore), Hands Clean (Alanis Morissette), and about a hundred other songs  
**Friends**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_), amore-e-morte (_Sado, Yasutora_), Princess_Snow_Flakes (Inoue, Orihime), TheQuincyHeir (_Ishida, Uryu_), flyingplumtree (_Hinamori, Momo_), keigo_asano_4ever (_Asano, Keigo_), mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_)...

…

…

…

_**Posted on October 21 at 00:58:39**_

**Subject**: I finally discovered the wonders of blogging and… other things.  
**Listening to**: I'm like a bird, I'll only fly away!

Dear Blog,

My life is officially sucky.

It's the suckiest suckfest in all of suck-topia.

Why do I have to be born into this stupid life, with a dictator older brother and dead parents, a bitchy best friend, a loser social life, an obsessive, pink-haired, tattooed guy chasing after me, an unrequited love for an IT professor, and stupid high school parties that do nothing but completely make me miserable?

(It doesn't even matter that I'm doing this on my Blackberry half-drunkenly while walking alone in the middle of the night…

But that's beside the point.)

Why can't I be like Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries? Mia pretty much had a zero social life (like me), but all that changed when she found out she gets to be a princess and gets to live in a castle. (Not to mention she's just _so_ beautiful.) Don't you just think it's so lame that she got an entire fictitious country as her sixteenth birthday gift and all I got was a driver's license?

I'm an _heiress_, not a princess. They are two different things.

(HUFF.)

But don't we all know that – that my life should be included in the Guinness Book of World Records under the "Suckiest Life Ever to Be Lived" category, because—

* * *

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout."

Rukia stopped in her tracks.

"Told you this part of town's got class."

"She looks easy though…" There was a menacing chuckle that sent chills down her spine.

_Goons._

Pocketing her Blackberry, she cursed mentally, resisting the urge to slap herself awake from intoxication. (Screw that vodka cruiser!) Sure, Karakura was a pretty quiet place to live in, and it was a perfectly safe place to go walking around way too early in the morning alone without a bottle of Mace or a sharp, pointy object.

That is if you were Chad.

She knew this town like the back of her hand, and this street was the fastest route to get to the nearest bus stop. Rukia just couldn't get it why it slipped her mind that muggers loomed this area – especially at night.

(Of course, she easily blamed that on the alcohol ingested earlier.)

Rukia was on the sidewalk, around ten or so feet away from a couple of guys who were obviously smoking weeds at the incoming corner. She couldn't recognize the faces.

She swallowed.

This was bad. Not only was she alone, she was a girl to begin with… a girl who had a little too much alcohol. And as much as she hated to admit it, her size (_AHEM!_) was not much of an advantage in this situation.

_Tatsuki… I, uhm, kinda need you right now._

…

Taking a step back, Rukia was about to turn around in her heels to go back to the party (which was the best choice at the moment) when she hit something hard.

_Wow. He's fast!_

And Rukia was cornered.

(Yet another reason why her life was a complete and total suckfest.

Oh, Kami, why can't you just smite me, right here, right now?!)

"Hey, where you going, baby doll?" the guy said, showing her his crooked teeth. He looked to be about her age, but she could tell he knew a _lot more_ than she did.

Which she didn't want to know, judging by the look in his eyes.

The other one walked up to her, throwing a cigarette butt on the asphalt. "Yeah, the party's just getting started."

_Oh, you have no idea._

Rukia cleared her throat. This was starting to creep her out. "Thanks, but I'd rather go home, so if you'd excuse me—"

"Why don't stay for a few puffs, huh?" the taller one said, holding out a stick of cigar to her.

_EW._ "Sorry, I don't smoke—"

_Bitch, where the hell are you…?!_

One of the guys grabbed her wrists. "He said, 'stay for a few puffs'!" he said, twisting her arms behind her back, making Rukia wince in pain. "And when the boss says it, ye gotta do what he says."

_Scream, you freak! Scream like your life depended on it!_

But she couldn't quite find her voice.

And things just went from worse to worst when three more guys appeared out of nowhere.

"Wow, we got new meat there."

A fat guy started jumping up and down, clapping his hands in the air. "Ooh! Ooh! I wanna go first! I wanna go first!"

_Oh, no._

_Please tell me this is a really horrible nightmare._

_Someone pinch me, please._

"Shut up. The boss always gets to go first!"

"Hey, I was the one who saw her—!"

Rukia started shaking as tears were threatening to pour down her cheeks when the revving of a car snapped her out of the hellish torpor she was in. The blinding headlights hit her closed eyelids as she felt her body freeze.

The mugs looked up, the screeching of the tires sending smoke in the evening air as a black Chevy stopped just a few inches away from one of the jerks.

And the person who stepped out was the least of who she expected.

…

"Get _the fuck_ away from her," he hissed.

* * *

Rukia's purple eyes rounded as she watched Ichigo Kurosaki give the goons the scariest glare she had ever seen. Even she was scared.

_No way._

_No fucking way._

_This is so not happening._

Everyone seemed to freeze at his ominous, I'm-going-to-crush-you-to-smithereens-if-you-don't-let-her go gaze before the guy who had Rukia's arms locked behind her bolted in the blink of an eye.

"Uh, Boss…" One of the hoodlums said. "I think it's time to bail."

"Just who do you think you are, you private school punk—?"

Ichigo narrowed his golden eyes at the so-called boss and took a step closer. It was enough to send him and his minions scrambling away, tails behind their legs, dust and clouds trailing behind them.

With that, Rukia dropped to her knees, clutching a knot in her chest. She then realized that she was practically sweating ice cubes.

_What. Just. Happened. Right. Now?_

The carrot-top hovered above her (_Okay, I'm short, I get it already!_) for a few seconds, probably waiting for her to catch her breath. He held out his hand after a few minutes to help her up. Rukia graciously took the offer and shakily stood on her feet.

_His hand felt so warm…_

She opened her mouth to say her thank, but she was cut short.

Rudely, might she add?

"_What the fuck were you doing?!_"

One of Rukia's veins popped.

"Well, if you were so unwilling to save me, then you should've left me!"

"I mean, who do you think you are, Wonderwoman?"

"No, and I don't think you're Superman either, so you should've just _left me_!"

"I know you're spunky for a midget, but did you actually _think_ you stood a chance against those fucktards?" Ichigo made a sharp turn to the right and stepped on the gas pedal.

_Pop. Pop. Pop!_

"Look, I didn't pick for a fight! I just ran into them!" Rukia screeched in his ear.

"What girl, in her right mind, would go walking in this dumpster of a neighborhood alone in the middle of the night? What, is you brain, like, proportional to your height or something, huh, Shortcake?" Ichigo asked her mockingly.

"Why don't you fucking lay off my case, you stupid strawberry?!" she snapped.

Ichigo sped up to sixty. "Oh, wow, this is the thanks I get for saving your skinny neck?!"

"Yes!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'm even going out of my fucking way just to give you a ride home!"

_Really?_

"WELL, THANK YOU!" Rukia screamed at the top of her voice.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Ichigo spat.

-**oOo**-

**To**: The Senior Class (_32 Recipients_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**Sent**: October 21 at 01:47:55  
**Subject**: Has anyone seen Rukia Kuchiki?!

She was last seen leaving the party around 1am today. Her brother will torture me with medieval torture devices if he finds this out, so please do NOT call him. I repeat, DO NOT CALL BYAKUYA KUCHIKI regarding this matter if you fear losing your life (and mine).

Rukia, if you're reading this, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!

Your brother will wring my neck till it snaps.

How selfish are you, you freaky little midget?!

Toods,  
T.A.

To: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: October 21 at 02:01:12  
**Subject**: I have. Just recently in the side mirror of the car I'm in.

I'm still alive and breathing. Chill pill much, bitch?

Oh, right. I just remembered that I hate you!

Don't bother messaging me.

Chappy is awesome,  
Rukia

-**oOo**-

_Three minutes later…_

When Rukia had calmed down and it was obvious that Ichigo wasn't going to talk anytime soon, she decided to break the ice. Well, more like ice berg. Her place was still a very far twenty minutes away and she'd rather talk to him rather than not talk _at all_ because that was just boring.

"So… what were you doing there anyway?" she asked.

"Oh, you're talking to me now?" Ichigo scoffed as they entered the freeway.

Her eye twitched. "I'm being nice, please work with me here."

"Tch. I dropped off Yoruichi at the bus stop. I was about to go back to the party when I saw those punks picking on you," he told her.

Rukia then remembered. Everything.

She hoped she didn't.

Especially not _that_ girl.

"Oh."

…

"Thanks, by the way."

"It was nothing, midget."

Rukia rolled her eyes and sunk into the passenger seat, deciding to ignore the… the _word_. To be honest, she was more than relieved and so thankful that someone had come to her rescue. What surprised her was… him. Tatsuki and Chad were the first two persons she had expected to be there, but no…

His Almighty Tangerine Prince had to come and save the day.

Him of all people!

The Ichigo Kurosaki!

And Rukia, being the indecisive and bitchy girl that she was, she didn't really know if this was a good thing or not. But when she thought about _why_ she decided to leave the party in the first place, she settled on the former.

But he _did_ save her and all, so she decided to cut the guy some slack.

…

Whatever.

"I can't believe you just did that," she blurted out, staring out the tinted car windows.

She could imagine the carrot-top scowl. "Did what?"

"I mean, you… scaring off those bastards away," Rukia said, her voice jumping a notch. "You didn't even do anything! You just glowered at them! That was amazing!"

"Tch. Stupid idiots. They don't know who they're messing with," gloated Ichigo in that confident tone of his as he shifted gears.

_I think I know now why the girls are always chasing after you._

Rukia smiled – a real one. "I mean, you're not even my knight in shining armor, but you so totally did that!"

_Oh my God, I did NOT just say that out loud._

Ichigo took his eyes off the road for a few moments to look at her. "What did you say?"

_Oh, great, now he's gonna make fun of me._

"Nothing! I just said 'you're not even my _friend_, but you so totally—'"

"No, that's not what you said, Shortcake," Ichigo said in measured tones, his eyes narrowing carefully. "What did you say?"

…

_Uhm…_

Rukia huffed in defeat. "Fine. I just said that… you're not even my… knightinshiningarmorbutyoustilldidthatforme. Happy? Now you can make fun of me all you want, Oh Your Tangerine Highness."

With her (very fast) words, Ichigo seemed to stiffen. To her surprise, he pulled over by the side of the freeway and his scowl deepened into unfathomable measures. His hands never left the steering wheel like he was debating something in that spiky, orange head of his.

_What's wrong with this guy? First he pops out of nowhere to rescue me, then he gives me a very convenient ride home, then he pulls a Mr. Mysterious act on me…_

…

"Rukia…" he began in a whisper. Said woman was taken aback when she realized it was the first time he had ever called her by her actual name.

"What's wrong with you, Strawberry? Looks like you need to use the bathroom or something," she half-joked as she removed her seatbelt.

…

"Were you at the BTS dance last September?" he asked her slowly and carefully, as though speaking too loud was illegal.

Rukia raised a petite (_HEY!_) eyebrow at him. "Why… do you wanna know?"

"Just answer me, midget."

_This is completely pointless! I need to get home, HELLO!_

The woman rolled her eyes annoyingly. "Yeah, I was there."

"Who were you with?"

"Tatsuki, Orihime, and Chad—"

"No, I mean, did you have a date?" he interjected sharply as she glared at her in a very, very offending manner.

_What's wrong with you?_

"Y-Yes, I did," she stammered in uncertainty.

Ichigo just continued staring.

-**oOo**-

He couldn't believe what was happening.

Screw the fact that he actually met a really hot girl who would give Beyoncé Knowles a run for her money.

Screw the fact that he actually went out of his way to save a girl from his class who was being mugged by five loser muggers and they both got away without a single scratch.

Screw the fact that he actually was giving said girl a ride home and leaving the party at this early in the morning.

There was just no way, in this world or the next dimension, that he could be having this conversation with this midget.

There was just NO FRIKKIN' WAY!

"Y-Yes, I did," she said, looking at him as if he were deranged.

"Who was he?" Ichigo was surprised at how fast the words flew out of his mouth.

Rukia was getting dubious. "_Why_ do you wanna know, anyway?" she asked him.

…

"You w-were in a white dress and mask, weren't you?"

The girl paled.

…

…

…

Rukia seemed to get it, too.

And it wasn't long before her screeching filled his ears yet again.

…

…

…

"NO! NO! NO!" she kept on yelling for the umpteenth time.

Blood drained from his face. He wouldn't be so flabbergasted either if his hair turned white, too. It was just one of those days when he wished he was dreaming and he would wake up as soon as possible before he couldn't wake up at all—

"THAT WAS YOU?! ARE YOU FUCKING MESSING WITH ME?! BECAUSE IF YOU ARE, THEN IT ISN'T FUNNY, DAMNIT!"

Ichigo stared off into nothingness.

_You took the words right out of my mouth._

"NO! NO! NO! THAT COULDN'T BE YOU! THAT WASN'T YOU!"

_I kissed the midget._

_My damsel in distress __**is**__ the midget._

"THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME! NO! NO! NO!"

_Come to think of it, they do look alike._

_I can't believe it took me this long to notice it._

"THAT COULDN'T BE YOU, BECAUSE IT _WASN'T_ YOU!"

_And I didn't just kiss her._

_I kissed her __**twice**__._

_Fuck, I even danced with her._

"LEMME OUT OF THIS CAR RIGHT NOW! I WANNA GO HOME!"

_I need an Advil._

_And a straightjacket._

"SCREW YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

_There's no way I can drive like this._

-**oOo**-

**Author's Note**: There you go. An extra, extra long chapter for you guys. I'm sorry if it's a bit disappointing on the fluff category (It will come eventually!) but… this does count as Ichi/Ruki action, right? Right? :D

**Another Note**: The title of this chapter is from a joke a friend of mine used, `cause of my friends was so totally in _denial_ about her feelings for this guy, so she goes, "You know, you're swimming in the longest river in the world." And then my other friend goes, "Huh?" And then I said, "Hello, you're swimming in _denial_, duh." HAHAHA! C'mon, laugh with me. It was funny! Right…? Okay, I'll shut up now.

* * *

* * *

_Weeeeeeeeee!_

* * *


	10. Chapter 9: HEY!

**Damage**_  
A Bleach Fanfic_  
By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: I so don't own Bleach. (But owning Kaien Shiba would be nice!)

**Author's Note**: Do I see torches and pitch forks right now? Yes, I know some of you are a little pissed off since I haven't updated in, like, forever. But I have a really good excuse.

Almost every night for the past months, I've been having asthma attacks which have been getting worse with ever attack. And the reason is… well, I haven't been able to control my smoking recently. (Yes, I smoke.) I'm kind of in the middle of a relationship problem (Yes, a guy.) and I took it out on smoking. So this is what I got. I mean, c'mon, it's hard to write when you're wheezing.

I'm really sorry you guy had to wait this long because of this. I hope my readers are still out there. And I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I did writing it.

-**oOo**-

_Closing time,__Open all the doors and let you out into the world.__  
Closing time,  
__Turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl.  
__Closing time,__  
One last call for alcohol,  
__So finish your whiskey or beer.  
Closing time,__  
You don't have to go home,  
But you can't stay here._

- Closing Time, Foo Fighters

-**oOo**-

**WHEN WE'RE BORED, THIS IS WHAT WE DO!**  
By _Tatsuki Arisawa_ and **Rukia Kuchiki**

(**Wow. We did this in, like, the ninth grade.**)  
(_Yep! Kept it all this time!_)

(**This'll be interesting.**)  
(_Yes, it will._)

1. Okay, uhm, who do you think is the cutest guy in our class?

_Hmmm. This is hard, considering that I don't find any of them cute! DUH?!_**  
Well, then who among them will you be willing to kiss for, like, a million dollars?**_  
Is it just a kiss or a torrid make-out session?_**  
Errr… Okay, a make-out session. Kisses are way too so-so.**_  
Argh. Fine. Uhm, Renji Abarai!_**  
Oh my God. HAHAHA! Why?**_  
I think he's kinda… cute and those abs __are__ pretty nice! There I said it! Damn it, freak._**  
Wow. Never thought I'd hear that from you.**_  
Heh. Okay, it's your turn._

2. Pick one: Pretend to be Ganju Shiba's girlfriend for a day or tell Kaien Shiba you're in love with him?

**Are you frikkin' kidding me, bitch?!**_  
I am powerless to be otherwise._**  
Fine, already! Uhm…**_  
What was that?_**  
Alright, pretend to be Ganju's girlfriend. UGH.**_  
I can't believe you just said that. You really are a freak._**  
I shall not yield with my undying though unrequited love.**_  
Whatever._**  
Next question!**

3. Who was the first guy you ever held hands with?

_Why are we doing this anyway?_**  
`Cause we're bored to high heavens.**_  
Uhmmm… What was the question again?_**  
You are seriously making this harder on yourself, bitch.**_  
Okay, okay! It was… Ichigo Kurosaki._**  
Huh? For real? When? How? Why?**_  
Well, you know how we went to the same karate school together? We were five and you know how parents are with their kids, damnit!_**  
Hands cupped or fingers laced?**_  
Hands cupped, sorry. MWAHAHA._**  
L-A-M-E.**

4. If there was one guy in our class you would marry, who would that be and why?

**Why does it always have to be in our class?**_  
It's a whole lot more fun that way._**  
Okay, uhm, I'll probably go for… Sosuke Aizen.**_  
Huh? Why that nerd?_**  
He looks kinda cute, and those glasses make him look good.**_  
I fail to see how._**  
`Cause I think smart guys are sexy while you, on the other hand, think that 'sexy guys' are those who live in the gym, sweating their asses off.**_  
Okay, I get your point already._**  
Glad to hear.**

* * *

**Username**: ChappyFreak88**  
Password**: headoverfeet

…

_You have successfully signed on._

…

You have one zero (0) offline message(s).  
You have zero (0) incoming friend request(s).  
You have two (2) outgoing friend request(s).

You have twelve (12) out of fifty-six (56) friend(s) online.

1. mr_shinigami63 (_Abarai, Renji_) – "you still owe me! ;)" (_You appear offline to this friend._)  
2. A_I_Z_E_N (_Aizen, Sosuke_) – "Genetics hw"  
3. ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_) – "^#?%&!$"  
4. keigo_asano_4ever (_Asano, Keigo_) – "i am grounded idiots"  
5. mindyourownbeeswax (_Fong, Shaolin_) – "Click at your own risk."  
6. Princess_Snow_Flakes (_Inoue, Orihime_) – "Baking! :D"  
7. Kira-kuuuuun (_Kira, Izuru_) – "View my webcam"  
8. PinkPinkPink143 (_Kusajishi, Yachiru_) – "Ken-chan is playing! YEY!"  
9. imtheQball (_Madarame, Ikkaku_) – "View my webcam (I'm hotter than Kira)"  
10. HutcyWutchy1234 (_Ushoda, Hachigen_) –"Hmmmm."  
11, themangaqueen (_Yadomaru, Lisa_) – "Click me!"  
12. zaraki666 (_Zaraki, Kenpachi_) – "Sparring. MWAHAHA."

…

…

…

**ur_worst_nightmare**: WHAT?!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Tell me you're joking.

**ChappyFreak88**: Why would I joke about something like this?!

**ChappyFreak88**: Kill me _now_.

…

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I would, but I don't wanna end up in jail for you.

**ChappyFreak88**: What are the _odds_, bitch?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Apparently, they're slimmer than you think.

**ChappyFreak88**: You are _seriously_ not helping, you know.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: So… what's your plan?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You can't just hide in your hellhole forever.

**ChappyFreak88**: Actually, that _was_ my plan.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Are you crazy?!

**ChappyFreak88**: After knowing that the guy I made out with was the same guy who threw away my Chappy the Rabbit origami when were eight, I think some of my screws _are_ getting loose.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You know, it's not really so bad if you quit overly-exaggerating it.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Although if I were in your shoes, I'd probably freak out, too.

**ChappyFreak88**: Thanks.

**ChappyFreak88**: Thanks _a lot_.

**ChappyFreak88**: Why am I friends with you again?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Ish because I have awesomeness.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: But that's beside the point right now, freak.

**ChappyFreak88**: I am sighing in resignation, because it's the only thing I am capable of doing at the present moment.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Look, like I said, it's not so bad. It's just Ichigo Kurosaki. Do you know how many girls would _kill_ to be in your shoes right now?

**ChappyFreak88**: Well, yeah, it's not so bad, but it will be once _they_ find out and come for my blood.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Never mind the fact that you've hated the guy since _time immemorial_, but can't you see the (endless) possibilities before you, Rukia Kuchiki?

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I mean, I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but do you feel that there's the slightest of the slightest chance that you may _like_ him not as your dashing knight in shining armor, but as Ichigo, the obnoxious knight in shining hair dye?

…

…

…

**ChappyFreak88**: Okay, I'll be honest with you.

**ChappyFreak88**: I have absolutely no idea at all.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: You should think about it first, okay?

**ChappyFreak88**: Yeah, I think I'll do that.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Okay, uhm, listen, I gotta bail. I have karate practice in twenty.

**ChappyFreak88**: Yeah, sure. Thanks for the, uh, advice, bitch.

**ChappyFreak88**: It helped me… I think.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Just fill me in later. AND DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID, MMKAY?

**ChappyFreak88**: Fuck you. I won't.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Alright, see ya.

**ChappyFreak88**: TTYL.

(_ur_worst_nightmare has signed out._)

(_You have changed your status message to "B-U-S-Y."_)

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER NINE**_  
HEY!_

-**oOo**-

(_This blog is marked as a private entry and may only be viewed by ChappyFreak88's friends._)

…

_**Posted on October 23 at 09:38:49**_**  
Subject**: When life gives you lemons… GIVE IT BACK AND ASK FOR STRAWBERRIES.**  
Listening to**: `Cause you're a god, and I am not. And I just thought I'd let you go…

Dear Blog,

Okay.

I'm gonna be straightforward and non-obsessive with this entry (since my last one was so rudely interrupted) because I seriously have issues here.

I take it my journal has already filled you in about the whole KSA and… Carrot-Top (let's call him CT) story that I've got going on. Surprise, surprise, because Kaien Shiba is so totally out of the picture.

(Shut up, you are a free-for-all, non-responsive, inanimate, online, networking blog. You can't talk so just listen to my pointless babbling.)

Let's set a few things straight first:

- I hate Ichigo Kurosaki's guts. (Codename: Carrot-Top)  
- I also like-_like_ him. (SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.)  
- I met this really awesome guy at the BTS Masquerade Ball around a month ago.  
- I also like-_like_ said guy. (Codename: Knight in Shining Armor or KSA.)  
- Ah, screw it. I made out with him. Twice, might I add?  
- I'm completely clueless as to who KSA is.  
- I still hate CT `cause he always picks on me in Bio class.  
- But I think it's really sexy the way he does that—

What_ever_.

So, last night, Keigo Asano threw this beer party at his place and invited the whole senior class, which meant everyone was there (except for… other people who were getting busy with… other, more important things). And yes, I was there, too.

To cut it short, I got a little tipsy `cause whoever made the vodka cruiser is a god, and while I was sitting at a lousy corner, drinking to my heart's content, I spotted CT hitting on this girl (Codename: Catwoman) and that just totally pissed me off.

HELLO, I like the guy. `Nuff said.

So I left the party, got mugged by a bunch of punks on the way to the bus stop, got saved by CT in the nick of time and due to certain circumstances that lead a certain conversation…

I found out that CT is actually KSA.

Which meant that they are the _same person_!

And that I kissed… Ichigo Kurosaki.

(It's a good thing I set this blog to private viewing, because if I hadn't, saying that would be as good as committing suicide. FANGIRLS ARE SCARY WHEN ANGRY AND I SO DO NOT WANNA FIND OUT WHY.)

So after _it_ sank it and I freaked out in his car, very, very heavy tension filled the air which went like so:

(In his car, on the way to my house, approximately two minutes after I regained some of my senses, and around eight minutes after the truth finally caught up with me…

Ichigo: (glares at the road ahead)

Me: (glares at a stupid spec on the stupid dashboard)

This glare-fest went on for about ten minutes or so.

…

Five minutes away from my place, he parked his car at the corner of my street…

Ichigo: (gives a really annoyed/exasperated/pissed off huff)

Me: (rolls my eyes and scoffs in a vain attempt to do anything but stare into nothingness)

Ichigo: (looks at the windshield as though _it_ was the one he was talking to) …Is it okay if I drop you off here?

_At last, it speaks!_

Me: Yeah, it's fine. My brother will… (I trail off lamely)

Ichigo: `Kay.

Me: Uh… Thanks for the ride.

…

Ichigo: (grunts)

Me: (gets out of his car and starts walking down the sidewalk, not daring to look back)

_I was still buried in deep, deep, deep denial at this point, so all I focused on was putting one foot in front of the other because I looked cooler that way._

_The truth was I was wishing the pavement would split open and swallow me whole._

ARGH.)

There. That's basically how it went.

…

I think the reason why I reacted the way I did when I found out was… well, I was just hoping that KSA was this perfect _guy_ who would so totally be the perfect _man_ for me. I mean, he was this charming, debonair Casanova who utterly took my breath away with that oh-so-suave flavor of his.

Although I have openly admitted my liking of CT, it's still very hard for me to accept that they're the same two freaking persons. A FACT: Ichigo Kurosaki is a big-headed, self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic, all-I-care-about-are-girls idiot and he is _nothing_ like KSA.

But they are one and the same.

He is him, and him is he.

See! Even my usually flawless grammar is suffering.

Do you see my effing dilemma here?

…

I think it's best I forget about this for now. My head is pounding like shit and writing will get me nowhere this time. Please, please, _please_ let me fall down a staircase so I can get amnesia or something so I can put all of this crap behind me.

And if that does come true, I hope the same thing happens to him so we can be Biology partners without the awkwardness that this will bring.

Maybe.

Not really.

I don't frikkin' know.

Your master, she who deserves much, much more,

Rukia

P.S. I am so not going to school today `cause I told Byakuya—ahem, Nii-sama (God, I hate calling him that) that I'm having really sucky cramps and I can barely stand up. Heh, I think Drama class finally paid off.

-**oOo**-

Ichigo was confused.

And when Ichigo was confused, he was not happy.

Therefore, this Monday morning was going to be hell.

ISH.

"Ne, Kurosaki-kun, there's an empty seat at our lunch table today. You wanna—"

"No."

"Did you, like, get my friend's friend's letter that I slipped into your locker yesterday? Well, she was wondering if you—"

"No."

"I really love your hair, Kurosaki-kun. It makes you look like a really, really, cute Christmas ornament—"

"Fuck off."

"Ichigo-sama, I heard you liked girls with dark hair, so I got my _naturally_ blonde hair dyed last night. Do you like it—?"

"Couldn't give a shit."

"Hey, dickhead, where've you been all weekend? You completely ditched us and the party last Friday—!"

"I said, FUCK OFF!"

A few of the girls in the West Wing squealed as Renji Abarai was punched with lightning speed through one of the lockers by his so-called best friend. There was a moan of pain, an 'Ow!' when a very heavy Geometry textbook fell on his head and chuckles from Kenpachi Zaraki and Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry, dude. Thought you were another girl," Ichigo apologized, his voice mocking.

Renji was up in a flash. "What the fuck is with you, fag?"

"Sorry, the ponytail just got me confused for a sec," he answered truthfully.

"Well, then get your friggin' eyes checked or something!"

The carrot-top didn't say anything, but simply pocketed his hands and looked at nothing in particular. He wasn't really in the mood to irritate his pink-haired friend. Hell, he even wanted to skip classes today.

_Maybe Renji was right. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked._

_No, what I need is a reality check._

"Hey, I'm talking to you, carrot head!" Renji said, his tattoos glowering threateningly at him. "Are you even fucking listening?"

Ichigo turned to look at the other guy, his mouth partly gaped from thinking too much as he blinked ever-so-slowly. His scowl never left his face the whole time.

You see, he was in deep shit.

And this was why.

(He and Renji had been friends for ten or so years now – since the second grade, actually. They'd been through pretty much everything – identity crisis, puberty and all that jazz, so they were as close as two could be.

Lame as it may sound, if there were a person he would risk his neck to save, it would be this guy – this pink-haired, sleazy, irresponsible, tattooed freak.

…

But the thing that bothered him the most was… before he and Renji ever became friends, his best friend was _friends_ with a certain purple-eyed, rabbit-obsessing midget since, well, pre-kindergarten.

And Ichigo knew Renji had always had this thing for the Kuchiki girl. Hello, talk about being discreet about his feelings? He, like, always asked her to go on a date with him on a regular basis even when Renji knew she would never go out with him.

And, yes, he had kissed said Kuchiki girl – TWICE.

Ichigo wasn't a guy who would admit something that would permanently destroy his ego, but there was just no use in denying the fact that he actually… liked the kiss.

…

FUCK.

…

If Renji ever found out about this, well… he didn't really know what his best friend would do, but he could tell it isn't going to be pretty.

But Renji didn't need to know about what Ichigo did.

There are some things that are better kept to oneself, right?

RIGHT?)

Renji was looking at Ichigo as though he came from a different species.

"Uh…" The carrot-top adjusted the strap of his bag uncomfortably.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

Ichigo cleared out his throat and faked a cough. "Nothing, I just think I'm… coming down with something. I gotta go."

"What?" Renji followed the orange-head out into the parking lot. "That's the oldest thing in the book. You just friggin' punched me through a locker, man. You know what, something's up, I know it."

_No, you don't know it, because only I know it._

"No, nothing's wrong, man," he lied, trying to look as sick as possible (which wasn't hard given the circumstances) as he took out his car keys. "I'm just feeling a little off. I'll come back to school by lunch if I feel better."

Renji leaned against Ichigo's shiny, black Chevy, hands in his pockets. He scoffed. "Is this about that Cinderella chick again?"

Ichigo tried his best not to laugh at the irony of the name. "Shut up," he said jokingly as he stepped into the car. "See you, man."

"Fine, see ya." Renji started walking back to the school entrance.

_Come to think of it, Renji, it __**is**__ about that Cinderella chick._

The engine roared to life and he revved off into the side streets.

-**oOo**-

Click.

"_…Nudibranchs, more casually known as sea slugs, are a member of one suborder of soft-bodied, shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks, which are noted for their extraordinary colors and striking forms. The suborder Nudibranchia is the largest suborder of heterobranchs, with more than—_"

Rukia yawned. Click.

"_Oh, Jonathan… Jonathan. You don't know how long I've waited for this. It felt like it's been forever, like the seven seas were between us… Oh, you're all I ever thought about each and every day—_"

_Talk about obsession._

Click.

"_—And now you can get this one-of-a-kind offer for half the price if you call the number on your screen right now! You will get a money-back guarantee if our product doesn't add at least one foot to your height in just seven days—!_"

_Woah!_

_I need this!_

She was about to grab the cordless phone beside her when the doorbell sounded throughout the house. Lazily, Rukia huffed and got up, her bare feet scraping the carpeted floor. She gave the knob a twist and peeked behind the door with looming eyes.

"Good morning!" a little girl scout greeted cheerfully with a very sunny smile.

Rukia blinked, which translated to: 'What the hell do you want.'

The girl's disposition didn't faze a bit. "My name's Yuzu from the Karakura Little Cubs Girl Scout," she said, "and I was wondering if you'd wanna buy a pack of our soft and freshly-baked homemade chocolate chip cookies!"

"That sounds nice, but, uh—" Rukia was halfway closing the door.

The girl's hand kept it open persuasively. "Only a buck a box! Buy two and you get one for free!"

Rukia rolled her eyes and decided that this little stubborn-ass was _not_ going to leave any time soon unless she'd get _something_. "Alright, fine," she huffed, looking for a few loose bills in her shorts and handing it to Yuzu.

"Thank you!" she said as she shoved three boxes into Rukia's arms and closed the door with a slam.

…

_That was… weird._

She raised her eyebrows when a card attached to the package caught her eye. With a free hand, she took it out of the envelope and read:

_Personally baked for you by the Karakura Little Cubs Girl Scout  
Solicited by: __Yuzu Kurosaki  
Thank you!_

Wait, what?!

_Is… Is this guy being deliberate?_

Rukia scratched her head in frustration as she munched on an unlucky cookie she took out. They were good, but it just wasn't enough to completely satiate her urge to smack her head upside-down.

_Maybe I should've gone to school._

She shoved another cookie in her mouth.

-**oOo**-

_**Posted on October 23 at 13:46:00**_**  
Subject**: This will be the death of me.**  
Listening to**: Tubthumper by that one-hit wonder band I can't remember

Admitting defeat is kind of hard for someone like me. I wasn't the type of kid who would lose in stupid playground fights over something equally stupid like tetherball games or who could fly farthest with the swings – even if it could've gotten me killed.

When we in the third grade, I remember beating the crap out of Renji until his nose was a messy indistinguishable blob on his face. I completely forgot why I did it or how it happened, but all I remember is I refused to get beaten up by a guy with a pink ponytail, and thus our so-called "friendship" began.

Think I'm kidding?

C'mon. Try living in a house where your dad would try to punch you into a bloody pulp every five minutes and you'd know what I mean when I say "I refuse to lose."

Winning had always been so effortless for me if I _wanted_ to win. So _why_ the hell am I having a harder than hard – That didn't sound nice— time fighting off these… these… _feelings_?

**Feelings** (_n._) 1) The tingling, hair-raising, melts-in-my-mouth, hell-butterfly-fluttering, makes-me-sick-to-my-stomach, icky, mixed emotions which my entire body reluctantly succumbs to whenever I think of a particular member of the female specie whom I unwittingly dubbed She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Pissed-Off-Or-Else-I-Risk-Loosing-My-Eardrums.

And the reason for these feelings?

To cut it short, we kissed.

The only problem was she didn't know it was _me_, Ichigo Kurosaki, she kissed and I didn't know that it was _her_ that I kissed.

I know it's not easy to buy, but you've just gotta trust me on this one, man.

Then, one weird night, everything just sort of spilled out. I, for one, was _shell-shocked_ and she… well, she just freaked and almost totaled the inside of my car and my hearing abilities. For a tiny woman, she can sure pack a helluva punch.

(I think I said a little bit too much there.)

Since that 'incident', as I like to call it, we haven't really seen each other much less talked. And judging by her reaction that night, I can tell that she wasn't… pleased with this newfound info.

Or was she? I don't speak female, never mind the fact that I have more than half the girls in school chasing after me. Most of them are shallower than the cuts I got when I was a kid, so it's kind of hard to take them seriously. Trophies, just plain trophies. Nothing more, nothing less.

But this… this girl…

_DAMN_.

She is mind-blowing.

(Kill me if the next sentences will sound gay beyond any comparison.)

Whenever I think about her, I think of the whitest full moons and the coldest winters in history. She's this… hard mint candy with a warm chocolate center I can't get enough of. And her kiss… hell, it's guaranteed to melt the polar ice caps. I've always wondered if we went further than kisses if—

Let's stop it right there.

I don't know what's so different with this one. I mean, I've kissed a dozen girls before, but why does _this_ one seem so… out of the ordinary?

We're not even the greatest of friends to begin with. Sure, we've been in the same school since the first grade and I had no idea this was so till this semester, but we're not exactly what you'd call tight. I actually think she hates my guts, to tell you the truth.

And after what happened that night after Keigo's party, I don't think that's going to change.

Alright, already. Damnit, I really like the woman, okay? So sue me.

But why not just make it up to her and get this thing going on?

Well, you see, Renji's been head-over-heels for this same girl since kindergarten. And that they were really close friends till around second grade. Can you imagine what kind of cataclysm would happen if I ever did start dating the midget?

As for me, I'd rather not know.

…

I don't think this is going to work out, not from any angle, not from any perspective.

And I think I need a beer.

…

…

…

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* * *

**To**: thegoddessof_flash (_Shihoin, Yoruichi_)**  
From**: Zangentsu09 (_Kurosaki, Ichigo_)**  
Sent**: October 23 at 14:01:44**  
Subject**: (no subject)

Hey, are you free this Saturday? I was wondering if maybe we could grab lunch together. I know a great place downtown.

- Carrot-Top

* * *

**To**: Zangentsu09 (_Kurosaki, Ichigo_)**  
From**: thegoddessof_flash (_Shihoin, Yoruichi_)**  
Sent**: October 23 at 15:01:29**  
Subject**: Sorry, it took me ages to answer! I'm in gym class.

That's sounds nice! I'm free all day `cause I just finished unpacking my stuff at home. Pick me up around… eleven-ish? :)

Meow,  
Flash

* * *

**To**: thegoddessof_flash (_Shihoin, Yoruichi_)**  
From**: Zangentsu09 (_Kurosaki, Ichigo_)**  
Sent**: October 23 at 15:04:52**  
Subject**: S`okay.

Alright, see you.

- Carrot-Top

* * *

**To**: Zangentsu09 (_Kurosaki, Ichigo_)**  
From**: thegoddessof_flash (_Shihoin, Yoruichi_)**  
Sent**: October 23 at 15:06:08**  
Subject**: Yeah!

Looking forward to it. ;)

Meow,  
Flash

-**oOo**-

"What _the hell_ are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going _undercover_."

Tatsuki raised her eyebrows. "If that's the case, then it's not a very good disguise."

"You know, if you really wanna help me so much, then it'd be best if you'd shut up," Rukia retorted as she slipped on her Chappy the Rabbit jacket and brought her hood up.

"Why don't you just wait till your Bio period?" suggested the other girl, leaning against a locker door. "You guys are, like, lab partners, right?"

"Exactly my point." Rukia started weaving through the crowded corridor.

The tomboy rolled her eyes and fell in step with the other girl. "I don't see the point of having to hide when you'll have to see him eventually—"

"Shut up, shut up, here he comes!"

Tatsuki made a disgruntled noise of annoyance which sounded like "freak." Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't really much of an asshole as every single guy who was jealous of him or every single girl he dumped thought. Tatsuki Arisawa knew better. So much better.

Pre-Prince-of-KPHS Ichigo was so much different. Oh God, she could remember how he clung onto his mother's leg, crying whenever she beat him at sparring during their karate years. Tatsuki also recalled Mrs. Kurosaki. She was a very pretty lady with long, light brown hair. Too bad she was already—

_Well, he really did change a lot since his mom passed away. I guess being a self-proclaimed playboy is his own masochistic way of coping with that._

"Could you _stop_ pulling on my sleeve, freak?" she hissed at a Rukia hiding behind her back.

She tugged harder and stopped walking in an attempt to hide more effectively. "No! No! Just stay where you are! He's gonna see me, you bitch!"

"That hurts, you know!"

"I said, _stay put_!"

"I'm not a dog, you little freak—!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Tatsuki indeed saw the dreaded carrot-top along with his lackeys Renji and that Asano kid. It was strange though, `cause the stuff they do in movies—the part in school hallways that involved a guy and a girl having eye-to-eye contact with the slow motion bit—was oh-so-true.

Everything seemed to move twice as slow when Rukia's hood, in her desperate flailing and panicking, fell from her head and Ichigo's narrowed golden eyes met her rounded purple ones. They stayed glued like this, Tatsuki forgotten, before the carrot-top passed them. His eyes betraying nothing but… _nothing_.

And this left Rukia gaping like an idiot.

…

_No. Fucking. Way._

Confused, Tatsuki pried her eyes off Ichigo Kurosaki's retreating back to look at her friend. Sure, Rukia had always been this level-headed girl who always seemed to be on her feet no matter what. But this Rukia – she had never seen her best friend like this.

It looked like she was… Rukia was hurt.

_Is that even humanly possible?_

_Rukia Kuchiki does NOT get hurt._

She knew for a fact (and what a strange fact that is) that Rukia Kuchiki had this tiny, insignificant crush on the Carrot Prince, but this didn't look like a tiny, insignificant crush to her at all.

Rukia wasn't even blinking! And she had this stupid look on her stupid face that said nothing but, 'I'm so fucking stupid because I think I'm in love with this stupid guy—'

Yes, even without words, Tatsuki can tell so much. Being best friends since second grade can do that to two girls.

But Rukia, in love? Not even her infatuation for Kaien Shiba fazed her a bit, but for that jerk-faced, all-around playboy, good-for-nothing asshole?

Wow.

…

Tatsuki couldn't really place it. But the way Ichigo did that made it seem like… like he couldn't care less about Rukia – the way he looked at her midget friend like she was a part of the dull, gray school walls behind her. Or the way he laughed offhandedly at something idiotic that Renji said when they passed them. Or the way he didn't seem at all different than his usual arrogant demeanor.

_Uh-oh._

_Bitch fit alert in three, two, one…_

"I'm going home," Rukia hissed as she flipped her hood up again. She started walking towards the opposite direction that Ichigo went to.

_Wait, you're not gonna beat the crap out of me? Not even scream into my ears until near-deafness?_

"_What?_" Tatsuki blurted out, grabbing the other girl's arm. "You can't go home, we have a class in, like, ten minutes—"

Rukia shrugged off Tatsuki's grip. "I don't fucking care."

_God, freak, you really are in love._

"Screw it! You're not going home! How's that gonna solve anything?"

She scoffed bitterly, her dark bangs on her eyes. "Bitch, I said I don't care anymore. Let me go. I wanna go home. I don't wanna stay here any longer than I have to."

The dangerous edge to her voice sent shivers down Tatsuki's spine. She loosened her fingers and slipped her hands in her pockets. "Fine. At least leave me a message when you get there."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Rukia turned her back and walked away.

-**oOo**-

Ichigo pocketed his hands like it was nothing to him. Of course it was nothing to him! It was nothing…

Nothing.

…

_Really?_

To be honest, he didn't know what to do the moment he saw the midget after what happened the other night. And it was the first time in his entire stay at KPHS that he didn't know what to do with a girl.

And it was, needless to say, driving him fucking nuts.

Everything went blurry when he saw her. The hallways melted away, the voices ebbed into nothingness. He even forgot that he was with his red-haired faggot of a friend. All he saw was her in that silly rabbit jacket of hers, cowering like some cornered prey.

_She scared of me?_

…

Only God knew how much he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to rip off those goons' heads off for ever touching her like that. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't really disappointed when he found out she was his Cinderella. He wanted to tell her that he was just surprised. He wanted to tell her that he just wanted to talk.

Screw Renji! He was the sole reason he couldn't walk up to her like he wanted to. Why did he still have to like that she-man midget anyway—?

_Okay, I'll shut up now._

…

She wasn't stunningly beautiful, no. And well, her body didn't really make up for it, much less her height. But there was something about her… Damn those eyes. How come he had never noticed them before? Never noticed _her_ before? Was he really that _blind_?

He couldn't read what her eyes were trying to tell him. Yes, there was something in them that he couldn't frikkin' place. It wasn't hate or loathing like he had thought it was. She was confused? Sorry? Angry? Disappointed? …Hurt?

…

"I'll see you later, man," Renji said as he made his way up the stairs. "Hitsugaya's got this really neat new car and the guys wanted to check it out."

Ichigo shrugged. "Alright."

…

No, he couldn't understand it, but it was something.

And he was going to hold on to whatever that was for now.

-**oOo**-

_Hey._

_I know writing letters is lame, but this is the closest thing I can do next to talking to you. My Blackberry is currently in pieces right now, because I threw it on my bedroom wall and I didn't wanna touch my laptop because it might be the next thing I break—_

…

Rukia crumpled the paper and threw it over her shoulder.

…

_Hey._

_I'm sorry for being such a bitch the other night. I didn't really mean to trash you car or your eardrums. I was just—_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_I hope you didn't take it the wrong way (yeah, right). I wasn't angry or anything. I was just… surprised. I mean, who would ever think that you were that guy under that creepy mask anyway—?_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_I know we're not really friends, but did you really have to look at me like I'm this invisible girl whose existence is unknown to that puny male brain of yours? You could've said 'hi' or something, you know—?_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_Do you know that you're one of the fugliest guys I've ever met? I mean, I don't get why girls are so desperate for you. The only thing that's special about you is that freakish orange hair of yours which I don't think is even natural—_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_Do you know that you're the most beautiful guy I've ever met? I don't know why I never noticed it before, but I think your orange hair is the sexiest thing on the planet, although it does make you look like an Olympic torch sometimes—_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_I hate you—_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_Well, I don't really hate you. I just—_

…

Crumple.

…

_Hey._

_I lov—_

…

Rukia tore the last sheet of paper into pieces and threw it in the air. She then buried her head under her sheets and huffed.

_Ah, screw it._

-**oOo**-

**Irrelevant Note**: I know most of my readers are teenagers – some of you smokers, some not. For the non-smokers, keep it up. Don't start lighting up, too. Not only does it literally kill your lungs, it also stains your teeth, and it IS addictive. It's kind of hard to stop even if you want to. (Smokers, you know what I'm talking about.)

Till the next chapter, which will hopefully come out next week.

One of my _really_ favorite Bleach characters is coming out next chapter! Yey!


	11. Chapter 10: Because I Want To

**Damage  
**_A Bleach Fanfic  
_By: weirdcoffeeholic

**Disclaimer**: Me don't own Bleach. Grimmjow is MINE though. *evil laughter*

**Author's Note**: *runs away after being chased by an angry mob*

Okay, what happened to me? Yes, I'm still alive and breathing. I've just been busy with school and paperwork and all. Being an intern SUCKS. I've been working on this chapter for a couple of weeks now since the beginning of the old Chapter Nine was lost when I got my laptop reformatted.

**Another Irrelevant Note (for the girls)**: Whenever I have my periods, I look for weird food. Does anybody else share this symptom with me or am I just as freaky as I think I am?

-**oOo**-

_In my head there's only you now.  
__This room falls on me.  
__In this world there's real and make-believe,  
__This seems real to me.  
__You love me but you don't know who I am,  
__I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand.  
__You love me but you don't know who I am.  
__So let me go.  
__Just let me go._

- Let Me Go, 3 Doors Down

**-oOo-**

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**Please enter your old password**: headoverfeet  
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Please enter your new password**: strawberryshortcake  
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…

**Rukia Kuchiki  
**I never thought this day would come: That I wish I'd get sent to a private all-girls boarding school in Norway. Sarcasm included.

…

**Byakuya Kuchiki** and **4 others** like this.

…

**View all comments**

**Tatsuki Arisawa  
**You're not just short. You're not just a freak. YOU ARE A LOSER.

**renji DA MAN abarai  
**aww rookie whats the matter? :(

**Byakuya Kuchiki  
**Ah, I've been waiting for this opportunity my entire life.

**Rukia Kuchiki  
**Tatsuki: I got it from you, bitch. Renji: You'd be totally idiotic if you think I'm talking to _you_. Byakuya: GO AWAY.

**Tatsuki Arisawa  
**Do you know the frikking meaning of "over-reacting?" Try Googling it.

**Rukia Kuchiki  
**Okay, as much as I'd like to talk to you right now, I refuse to discuss this matter on a public networking site where the entire Senior Class (and my brother) can read it.

**Tatsuki Arisawa  
**IM me.

…

_You have added _**Byakuya Kuchiki**_ to your Blocked Users.  
__You have added _**Renji Abarai**_ to your Blocked Users._

* * *

**ChappyFreak88**: What the hell do you want, bitch.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: I don't get it why you're spazzing out over something so effing shallow.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: My freakishnessless doesn't get it.

…

**ChappyFreak88**: Well, think of it this way.

**ChappyFreak88**: It's like you're really excited over a supposedly uber-cool birthday present that you just can't wait to open it.

**ChappyFreak88**: And then when you ripped it open, you found out it was underwear.

**ChappyFreak88**: And they didn't even fit you.

**ChappyFreak88**: After that, you found out it was the perfect present someone else was looking for.

…

**ur_worst_nightmare**: What the fuck are you talking about, freak?

**ChappyFreak88**: You're about as sensitive as a mountain boulder!

**ChappyFreak88**: I don't even know why I'm talking to you!

**ur_worst_nightmare**: So you're, like, disappointed that your KSA (ew!) turned out to be the most obnoxious guy you've ever met?

**ChappyFreak88**: *insert nodding smiley here*

…

**ur_worst_nightmare**: WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ADMIT TO YOURSELF AND TO THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ICHIGO KUROSAKI?

…

**ChappyFreak88**: Because I'm NOT.

**ur_worst_nightmare**: Oh, right. Your suicidal thought of Norwegian boarding schools has _nothing_ to do with your midget emoness.

**ChappyFreak88**: You're hurting my feelings.

**ChappyFreak88**: Fuck you. :'(

_ChappyFreak88 has signed out._

**ur_worst_nightmare**: EMO KID! I SHUN YOU!

-**oOo**-

**CHAPTER NINE  
**_Because I Want To_

-**oOo**-

Ichigo nearly dropped his really awesome Egg McMuffin.

"What the hell—!"

Ikkaku Madarame's head glared at him under the 7am sunlight. "Dude, I was frikking _sleeping_!"

"In the trunk of my _car_?"

"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" he asked as he snuggled back in. "And could you shut the hood please?"

"Get out," Ichigo hissed.

"Make me, _Strawberry boy_."

* * *

"Abarai! Hitsugaya! Asano! Kurosaki! Zaraki! Team one!"

…

It took him around exactly two days before he finally admitted to himself that he didn't know _everything_ there was to know about women. Yes, it was a well-renowned fact that almost the entire female population of underclassmen was after him, but just like any rule, there would always be those effing exceptions to his never-before-failed general impression of ladies.

**e.g.** _Rukia Kuchiki A.K.A. Cinderella_. (He winced at the thought.) That she-man midget who recently just started blinking in his mental radar built especially for girls. Ichigo had found it totally shell-shocking that they had been together in the same city, much less the same school, his whole life and NOT know that 'she of very masculine vocal chords and underrated lack of growth hormones' existed.

(But then again, he never really had good memory of names and faces. Hell, he couldn't even remember most of the girls he dated. They all looked frikking the same!)

"Kurosaki, get your head in the game!"

He off-handedly caught an incoming basketball in his hands and passed it to the nearest power-forward.

…

Come to think of it, he _did_ have hazy though still recallable kindergarten memories of a rabbit origami he threw in the rubbish bin after recess.

…

So _that_ was _her_! No wonder she talked to/looked at him like he was a totally insensitive asshole.

Which he was, actually. And he secretly blamed Renji for it.

…

It didn't help at all that whenever he shut his eyes, all he could see were snowy mountain tops, small, white, furry mammals, a full moon, and purple eyes the size of bowling balls. (Come _on_, how many chicks out there actually had _purple eyes_? The midget didn't even look like she was wearing contacts!

Do they actually have contacts the size of her eyes in the first place?)

That lingering thought made his stomach do a three-sixty.

He wasn't a man of emotion to begin with, but he knew her eyes were always full of spunk just like she was. They always sparked with must-I-put-up-with-idiots-like-you-when-I-can-do-this-on-my-own, especially during their Bio period. This was the sole reason why he was so fucking disturbed by the way she looked at him yesterday when they passed each other in the hallways.

He had never seen them so… round and… unsure… and _purple_.

_Damn it._

"Oy, fag! Heads up!"

Ichigo's deep thought of a girl he wasn't supposed to be thinking of in the first place was the reason why he was at Gym Class but felt like he was somewhere far, far away.

"Kurosaki, please prepare for impact," Ikkaku droned over the megaphone.

It was also the reason why he didn't see the Spalding basketball that was about to collide with his oh-so-perfect jaw.

"What the fu—Oompf!"

-**oOo**-

"_That_ was promising." Tatsuki looked like she was run over by a ten-wheeled ice cream truck.

Yoruichi smiled slyly, making her look like a feline femme fatale. "Really? Well, Physics is _nothing_ once you get the hang of it."

"Glad to hear someone's having fun in that hellhole-slash-classroom. But thanks for some of the answers."

"Heh. You so totally owe me a mocha shake for that."

"No problem, toots. I'll double the treat if I pass that fucking exam," Tatsuki said as she rammed her books into her chaotic locker. "Kyoraku almost caught me looking at your paper. Screw that old drunken geezer—"

"Woah, easy. They got hidden cameras and microphones all over the place, you know."

"They _do_?"

"Yes, you didn't know? They wrote that in the student handbook." Yoruichi colored her lips with caramel glitter-gloss and instantly looked like a Vogue cover-model.

Such unknown information took the tomboy by surprise. "We have a _handbook_?"

"Yes! I've read the entire thing the night before I transferred." She smacked her lips together and grinned. "Hey, I gotta go. It's my turn to set-up stuff in Chem. I'll see you around, okay?"

The other girl gave a nod. "Right, see ya."

Yoruichi winked and then effortlessly cat-walked into the crowd of bickering students.

_Why the hell can't I look like that?_

Tatsuki couldn't help prying open her rusty locker door and gawking at the mirror taped behind it.

She hated her hair- the way it stuck out at odd angles no matter how many times she brushed it. She hated her skin- the way it looked pale no matter how many times she tried to get a tan. She hated her shoulders, her nose, her—

_Wait, since when did I care about how I looked?_

Her Blackberry vibrated angrily in her pocket.

* * *

**To**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki_)  
**From**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**Sent**: October 25 at 11:46:33**  
****Subject**: Hmm.

Wanna have a sleep-over? Byakuya's away on another one of his business trips and won't be back till Sunday.

I ordered Domino's pizza.

Chappy is awesome,|  
Rukia

* * *

Tatsuki was typing up her reply when a slip of paper fluttered down from Yoruichi's locker.

She picked up the scribbled note and read.

* * *

**Hey, Soifon.** – Flash

_What._

**Everything's going well. I'll be having dinner with Ichigo Kurosaki this Saturday while he's wrapped around my slender, perfectly-manicured finger.**

_Wow, you sound confident. What about those mindless devotees of his?_

**Oh, don't mind them. Little details, little people. Nothing I can't handle.**

_Tch. I don't get it why so many girls are drooling over that Naruto-look-a-like. He's not even that hot._

**Well, he's not, but his credit cards look sexy.**

_C'mon, he's not that stupid either. I've never seen him fawn over ANY girl before, and I've been in the same school with that guy since kindergarten._

**Do not doubt me and my capabilities, Soifon. I make Fergie look so 2008.**

_What're your plans anyway?_

**There's this really cool grilling place I've been dying to try downtown. I think it's along 8th Street—**

* * *

The rest of the message was conveniently torn as though it knew it was giving too many details to a nosy on-looker.

_Yoruichi and Kurosaki on a date._

_This Saturday._

_The same orange-haired heartthrob the midget's gaga over?_

_Okay._

…

_Hey, this isn't so bad._

After a few minutes of quiet thinking, she came up with one conclusion:

_No, actually this is BAD._

_What the fuck do I do?_

* * *

**To**: ChappyFreak88 (_Kuchiki, Rukia_)  
**From**: ur_worst_nightmare (_Arisawa, Tatsuki)_  
**Sent**: October 25 at 14:24:09  
**Subject**: 'Hmm' your face. WE HAVE A CODE: RED.

I repeat, CODE: RED.

Sure, I'll drop by around seven-ish.

Keep the pizza warm till I get there.

And take a bath. I know you don't take showers when you suck up at home.

Toods,  
T.A.

-**oOo**-

Rukia felt like her heart was crushed into pretty pink confetti.

But of course, being an heiress to the noble house of the Kuchiki (Population: 2 people—her and Byakuya), she chose to appear nonchalant, poised, dignified, and well-mannered. There was no way, in this dimension or the next, that she of seemingly-royal blood was going to screw up every drop of dignity and respect in her body just because some tall, gangly boy with orange hair decided to go out with a really hot Halle Berry look-a-like.

No, she wasn't jealous.

Jealousy was for the common people.

No.

To give in to such unruly behavior was simply unacceptable.

…

Rukia hiccupped. "Gimme the vodka."

"What?"

"I said, _gimme the vodka._" Rukia hissed threateningly as she slammed a Royal Flush on her bed. "Ha! I'm just awesome at this game, `cha think, bitch?"

Tatsuki handed her the half-empty bottle and wrinkled her nose. "That stuff tastes like shit. How can you even drink that? Beer is love, my tiny friend."

Rukia hiccupped and her cheeks grew redder. "Would you believe that I've never drank vodka b-before? I mean, I was looking around Byakuya's stash of really expensive wine when I found this little baby here—" She hugged the bottle like a teddy bear. "—You'll get used to it after a couple of glasses—"

"So much for upholding the Kuchiki's name." Tatsuki shuffled and dealt the cards again.

"It's officially off."

"Huh?" The tomboy arched her brows. "Was it ever on?"

"Well, it could've been on in an alternate d-dimension where good and happy things happen to me."

"Welcome to reality, then."

"Tatsuki, my lovely, bitchy friend… _He_ asked _her_ out and _I_ am out of the picture. See? There's nothing wrong because they l-look good together." Hiccup. She then made weird gestures with her hands. "Carrot-Top and Catwoman. Don't you think they make such an _adorable_ c-couple?"

_Though I think Strawberry Shortcake sounds better._

Rukia took another swig from the bottle, stood up and twirled in a sissy manner. "I remember in kindergarten when everyone in class, including _you_, picked on him 'cause of his hair, and I was the only one who talked to him 'cause I thought it looked really cool. He n-never had many friends either, but that was before he met Renji and _everybody_ else in first grade."

"I also remember the BTS dance. He was _amazing_ that night—Oh, shit. I sound like I just had sex with him—No, what I m-meant was, well, it's probably a night I won't forget _ever_. It's not everyday you get to make-out with a really hot masked g-guy, particularly a masked Ichigo Kurosaki in a really sexy tuxedo. _Damn_, he looked really good in that coat of his. Black and red are definitely his c-colors—Showed off his really awesome hips—" Hiccup.

"And! And! His family's just to die for—His dad's this really funny perverted doctor who runs a clinic right next to their house, and he has the cutest little twin s-sisters—well, the other one wasn't as nice as the other, but she was okay, too—" Hiccup. "They're a really nice bunch, though I wouldn't say the same about Ichigo."

"I keep on wondering why they named him 'Ichigo' anyway. He doesn't look a bit like a strawberry. But he _did_ taste like strawberry punch when we kissed, heh." Rukia downed a considerable amount of vodka again. "This stuff's good, you know, you should try it—"

* * *

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU HAVE TO THROW UP ON _ME_?"

"Oh God, I'm so sorry 'bout that—"

"I MEAN, COME _ON_—WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN EATING THESE PAST DAYS? OH SHIT, IS THAT YOUR BROTHER'S _SPAGHETTI_—?"

"Oh, there goes my pre-digested d-dinner—"

"YOU ARE _THE MOST_—!"

-**oOo**-

"—insensitive fag on the entire planet."

Ichigo, who was _sweating_ his ass off on the treadmill, nearly _fell_ on his ass. "You talking to me?"

"How the hell could you have done that?" Renji asked as he set down his barbells.

"Done _what_?"

Renji made a face. (A really annoying kind of face that made Ichigo want to rip off his spiky eyebrows for.) He looked at the other boy as though he didn't understand English. "You-turned-down-_really-pretty-hot-chick_-just-few-minutes-ago-you-fucking-idiot."

The Carrot-top huffed and sped up. "Look, I don't like her, okay? I think I should get to decide who I go out with and make sure I actually like the girl, buffoon."

_Touché._

"Since when did _you_ care about feelings?"

…

_Since—_

"I'm taking that new girl out tomorrow," he blurted out.

"What? That cute girl with the summer tan? Damn, was about to lay my Renjiman moves on her. Why the hell do _you_ always get the good ones first?"

Ichigo sweatdropped. "Because I'm cuter, sexier, smarter, faster—"

"Wow, says the Virgin Ichigo," Renji supplied for him.

"Shut up, dickhead."

It was at that moment that he regretted his hormone-induced decision of asking Yoruichi out, and he all but blamed his masculine impulsiveness. Why, why, _why_ did he even do that? Sure she was hot and all that jazz, but she just wasn't… quite what he wanted.

What exactly did he want? It was a lesser (smaller?) form of the ideal girl he dreamed of, nay, fantasized over when he was but a wee boy. Someone simpler, probably with short, black hair, and amethyst irises, someone… smaller in general.

Renji was right. Since when did he care about feelings in the first place?

_Since I found out _she_ existed, since I kissed her, since I couldn't get her out of my head—_

"Anyway, I was thinking of surprising Rukia with this really, uhm—how do the girls call it—_totally fab_ rabbit jacket I got from eBay. Frappy the Rabbit, I think."

_Perfect. Just frikking perfect._

If his math skills (which weren't admittedly too good) didn't fail him, there were approximately twenty-five girls for every twenty guys in his school, which was why he was trying hard to figure out how slim the chances were in such a big, big world.

Such a fucked up situation like this (two best friends liking the same girl) was a natural phenomenon any adolescent male encountered at least once or twice in their miserable lives, he concluded. That was, of course, based on chick flicks he secretly watched behind his perverted father's back.

…

Therefore.

…

It wasn't fate. It wasn't even serendipity. Or coincidence.

It was just… high school romance.

And he wasn't going to let it get to him.

…

"Chappy." Ichigo glared as though what he heard was eternally offensive. "It's _Chappy_ the Rabbit."

-**oOo**-

"Huh?"

Tatsuki answered with a very determined nod.

"That's stupid."

"Hello? That's the part where you say, 'It's effing brilliant! Tatsuki you're such a wonderful friend!'"

"Er… No." Rukia popped an Advil in her mouth. Her migraine was killing her. "I hate them both, okay? But… _Sabotage_? Bitch, we're in the twelfth grade, not junior high school."

"I'm guessing you have a better idea? You must store something in that freaky brain of yours." Tatsuki asked as she digged into her Frosted Flakes.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "I can't think with my head pounding, you bitch."

"Then let's do this! Let's make their date a living hell!"

"Err… I'll have to think about this."

Tatsuki leaned over across the table and raised her spoon for emphasis. "Remember: He took away your precious first kiss _and_ your equally precious second one."

Rukia closed her eyes in contemplation.

"And after all that, he's gonna take that new girl out to that barbeque place you love so well—"

"Alright, fine already!"

"Gimme a pen and paper." Tatsuki's eyes sparkled dangerously, and Rukia recognized it. It was that same gleam in her eyes before her really big karate matches. And it meant one thing.

Ichigo Kurosaki was going down for the win.

* * *

"_White Rabbit. Do you copy, White Rabbit?"_

"Copy, Crouching Tiger."

"_State your location, White Rabbit._"

…

…

…

"Er… I'm right beside you?"

…

"_Affirmative._"

Rukia sighed. "You know, there's new technology today which they call 'cell phones.' Repeat after me, bitch: _Cell phones._"

"No Blackberries." The other girl was busy fumbling in her closet for something un-Tatsuki-ish to wear so that people wouldn't recognize her once they execute Operation: Ichigo Kurosaki, Kiss My Ass.

"But why—?"

"Because Walkie-Talkies look cooler."

…

"Aww, bitch, you're going through all this for _petit moi_. That's so sweet of you. You _care_ for me—"

"Ew, no! I'm just—"

"Don't deny the obvious, bitch. It's okay—"

"Fuck you! I still don't forgive you for puking on me last night—! No, _NO_! Get away from me! Keep your filthy midget hands off me—No hugging! NO HUGGING—!"

-**oOo**-

You have 216 new notifications.  
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…

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**The first kiss stole the breath from my lips. Why did the last one tear us apart?

…

**Momo Hinamori**, **Zaraki Kenpachi** and **26 others** like this.

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View all **72 comments**.

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**Keigo Asano  
**Has anybody seen my Diablo CD?

**Ikkaku Madarame  
**Oh this is epic. ICHIGO THE LADIES MAN IS IN LOVE. LMFAO.

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**Cueball: Read my middle finger.

**Zaraki Kenpachi  
**Don't worry, dude. Plenty of other fish in the sea.

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**Ken: That sounds so weird coming from you.

**renji DA MAN abarai  
**dude you totally quoted that from mayday parade.

**Toshiro Hitsugaya  
**Momo, I know I'm such an ass, and I'm a walking failure at life. I need you. Behind every genius boy is a really cute girl in buns rolling her eyes. My life has no meaning now that you left me. (16 people like this.)

**Uryu Ishida  
**Answers for Physics homework is now up on my page, losers.

**Momo Hinamori  
**I need a _man_, not a _boy_.

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**Momo: Couldn't have said it better myself.

**Tatsuki Arisawa  
**Momo: LOL.

**Yoruichi Shihoin  
**;) :D :3

**Ichigo Kurosaki  
**Shiro, Momo: Get a fucking room.

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_Enter a name or e-mail_: Rukia

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**Rukia Kuchiki  
**City of Karakura  
Karakura Private High School

…

…

…

(Wait a second.

The _sister_ of _the_ Byakuya Kuchiki?

Shit.

Fuck me.)

…

**Rukia Kuchiki  
**AquaTimez rocks my world.

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**Orihime Inoue** and **8 others** like this.

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"My stupid son is now an internet predator!"

The next thing Ichigo knew, his face was conveniently flattened against his laptop screen with his father's foot. Quick enough, he reached out, grabbed Isshin's arm and threw him across the room.

"What the hell was that for?"

Isshin collided with the bedroom wall. "Ah! Your reflexes improved, my son!" he muffled.

"Screw this—!"

-**oOo-**

October 24  
In my room with a clock that ticks incessantly  
With my bitchy bestfriend who's trying to help me make my life _somewhat_ a little less sucky

Dear Journal,

For what it's worth, I'll confess.

I l—

I lo—

I lov—

Damnit, even my fingers refuse to write such an anomaly.

NO, BEING IN DENIAL IS NOT BEING A COWARD. IT'S NOT AN INCURABLE CONTAGIOUS DISEASE SO IT'S NOT A TOTAL RISK TO ME OR MY REPUTATION.

At least, that's what I think. Tatsuki believes otherwise.

But, well, she's a bitch, so after today, I won't be taking advice from her again. HA!

…

So.

In less than an hour from now, we'll be executing our perfectly brilliant plan of Ichigo Kurosaki Must Die.

(Well, no, we're not actually gonna kill him, don't be stupid.)

…

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you,_

_Been here all along, so why can't you seeeeeee?_

_You belong meeeeeeeeehhh~_

…

So what if she's prettier than me. (I'm smarter, I bet.)

So what if her skin's to die for. (Pale is the new tan. Whatever.)

So what if she's got legs as tall as I am. (Oh my Kami, I just insulted myself, didn't I?)

So what if she's got bigger boobs. (I… I… I, uhm. Screw this!)

So what if.

*insert evil witch laughter here*

Your master, she who has a really mean left hook,  
Rukia

* * *

"Hey, I have a favor to ask."

The voice on the other line giggled like the schoolgirl she was. "Sure, Tatsuki. What is it?"

"Okay, listen closely…"

-**oOo**-

**Author's Annoying Note**: Haha. I wonder who she was talking to? Next chapter! The much-awaited date! I'm not gonna make any promises though, but I will update this in a few weeks. (I've already got the next chapter's draft written, so sue me.) :D


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